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Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019 Vol. 20 Iss. 31

After banner year, Balsam Range release ‘Aeonic’ Page 24 A year of outdoors coverage remembered Page 34

CONTENTS On the Cover: As we count down the last days of 2018, the year just isn’t complete without The Smoky Mountain News spoof awards and our new Fake New Freakout features. After such a busy year of covering the most important news in Western North Carolina, we enjoy taking a lighthearted look back — finding the humor in the headlines and honoring those who have made their mark. So take a break, share a few laughs and get ready to wipe the slate clean for 2019. As always, congratulations to our winners and if you didn’t get an award don’t worry, there’s always next year. (Page 3)

Opinion Serving ‘something larger than themselves’ ............................................................20

A&E

STAFF EDITOR/PUBLISHER: ADVERTISING DIRECTOR: ART DIRECTOR: DESIGN & WEBSITE: DESIGN & PRODUCTION: ADVERTISING SALES:

CLASSIFIEDS: NEWS EDITOR: WRITING:

ACCOUNTING & OFFICE MANAGER: DISTRIBUTION: CONTRIBUTING:

Scott McLeod. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . info@smokymountainnews.com Greg Boothroyd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . greg@smokymountainnews.com Micah McClure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . micah@smokymountainnews.com Travis Bumgardner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . travis@smokymountainnews.com Jessica Murray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jessica.m@smokymountainnews.com Susanna Barbee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com Amanda Bradley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jc-ads@smokymountainnews.com Hylah Birenbaum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . hylah@smokymountainnews.com Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Jessi Stone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jessi@smokymountainnews.com Holly Kays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . holly@smokymountainnews.com Cory Vaillancourt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cory@smokymountainnews.com Garret K. Woodward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . garret@smokymountainnews.com Amanda Singletary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . smnbooks@smokymountainnews.com Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Jeff Minick (writing), Chris Cox (writing), George Ellison (writing), Gary Carden (writing), Don Hendershot (writing), Susanna Barbee (writing).

After banner year, Balsam Range release ‘Aeonic’ ................................................24

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The year in quotes ............................................................................................................34

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Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

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Fake News FREAKOUT!!

Part Three

————————————————————————————

By Cory Vaillancourt • Fake News Editor his is my third Christmas as a member of The Smoky Mountain News staff, and this is also the third installment of the FAKE NEWS FREAKOUT. Conspiracy?

No. Coincidence? Likely.

But since there seems to be some lingering confusion over what fake news is not (stuff you don’t agree with) and what fake news actually is (the stories below), submitted herewith for your amusement are a number of genuine fake news stories gathered from around the region this past year. Co-conspirators Holly Kays and Jessi Stone contributed to this fake news report, which is fake.

T

CONGRESSMAN MEADOWS

MEADOWS CLEARS UP CONFUSION OVER HIS DEGREE A Tampa Bay Times investigation earlier this month revealed that Asheville Republican Congressman Mark Meadows’ educational attainment at the University of South Florida wasn’t quite what he’d claimed it was, but he’s since taken immediate steps to clear up the misconceptions. Meadows had

NOW EASIER JUST TO REPORT ON THOSE WHO DON’T HAVE LONG LEAF PINE AWARD The Order of the Long Leaf Pine may be the State of North Carolina’s highest civilian honor — awarded to such luminaries as Maya Angelou, Dale Earnhardt, Billy Graham and Michael Jordan — but a recent and marked increase in the number of awards issued now makes it easier just to report on the tiny, tiny minority of North Carolinians who haven’t been given one. “I was just standin’ here in my yard mindin’ my own business when Governor McCrory showed up in a fancy suit and give me this here reward,” said unemployed fax machine repairman Tyler Taylor, of Tarboro. “I don’t know what I done to deserve it, but then a few weeks later Governor Cooper showed up and give me one too.” As of press time, nearly 700 of North Carolina’s 10 million residents still hadn’t received theirs.

[Fake news cutline about global media conspiracy here] Wikipedia, probably

tions to Haywood County print newspapers The Smoky Mountain News and The Mountaineer. “Our megalithic business model doesn’t recommend investing in that particular community, ever, but we still care about their pocketbooks — and ours,” said Sinclair VP of Exploitation Bret Bretterson.

“Without the long-standing, large-scale, surface-level, unattributed appropriation of the work of others, we’ll have to find a new way to deliver value to our shareholders.” To fill the programming gap, producers were reportedly considering running with a segment on how Asheville is “quirky” and “eccentric” but still upscale with a cool music and art scene and a booming speculatory real estate market, all in the midst of scenic Southern Appalachia®.

WLOS CEASES BROADCASTING CHEROKEE MEDIA BAN LIFTED AFTER SUBSCRIPTIONS TO — WITH RESTRICTIONS SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, After months of exile to the Cherokee Council House lobby, The Smoky Mountain MOUNTAINEER LAPSE News will be permitted to enter the chambers Lamestream corporate media boogieman Sinclair Broadcasting announced last week that Asheville fiefdom WLOS-TV would temporarily suspend all news broadcasting after an accounting department foul-up that resulted in the failure to renew mail subscrip-

Smoky Mountain News

President Donald Trump’s tough antiimmigration stance has always been at the forefront of his domestic policy agenda, but that’s never been more clear than with the recent surprise deportation of influential Asheville Republican Congressman and House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows. Meadows was detained by ICE officials in Washington last week after being forcibly separated from his anchor babies and subsequently put on a plane to Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris, France. The surprise deportation comes after Trump noticed that Meadows’ own biography admits he was born amongst cheese-eating surrender monkeys in Verdun, France.

When reached for comment, Meadows said, “Mais je ne suis pas de là! Bien que les soins de santé universels sont gratuits.”

Membre du Congres Americain Mark Meadows. Illustration photo par Cory Vaillancourt

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

DEPORTED TO HIS HOMELAND

been mentioned as a possible candidate for President Donald Trump’s chief of staff job; during the vetting process it was noticed that someone had edited Meadows’ Wikipedia page to change his purported bachelor’s degree from USF to an associate’s degree.

Meadows apologized for the confusion and said that he actually earned his bachelor’s degree in real estate management in 2009 from Trump University’s satellite campus in Toulouse, France.

of the Tribal Council once more following a recently drafted agreement between the two organizations.

See FAKE NEWS, P.4 3

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FAKE NEWS, continued According to the agreement, SMN reporters may enter the chambers on two conditions. Any reporter seeking to cover Tribal Council must wear a large red M on his or her chest — the scarlet letter would stand for “media” — and allow all elected officials at least three takes of any quote before using the material for a story.

“First drafts are never as good as second or third drafts,” said Councilmember Tommye Saunooke, of Painttown, who initiated the media ban in April. “The same goes for things people say up around this horseshoe. It’s good to see the paper finally realizing that.”

M

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES OVERDO IT ON FISCAL NEW YEAR’S EVE Averring they’ve “not budgeted so hard this whole year” and pledging to “never budget so much again” — at least until next year — scores of town and county managers as well as governmental budgeting and accounting professionals awoke the morning of July 1 with raging Fiscal New Year’s Day hangovers induced by furious budgeting the night before. Although much of the western world wakes up on Jan. 1 after a late night of dinner, dancing and drinks — sometimes overdoing it with the latter — North Carolina’s fiscal year ends June 30, which to local governments is the state-mandated deadline for the laborious task of passing a yearly budget; while some engage in budgeting on a weekly or even daily basis — which could lead to fiscalholism — most do so only once a year, resulting in a miserable Fiscal New Year’s Day. However, those who opt for the ol’ “hair of the dog” remedy recommend some light checking account reconciliation after brunch and before a nap.

Smoky Mountain News

FRANKLIN LEADERS FINALLY

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FIGHT IT OUT After spending much of the year using their words to fight from behind the Franklin Town Council dais, Mayor Bob Scott and Councilmember Joe Collins finally decided just to have it out once and for all.

The crowd attending town board meetings had been steadily growing over the last few months as more residents flocked to see which longtime Franklin leader would turn the deeper shade of red during such verbal altercations. A fight over the ABC board finally brought them to a roaring boil.

“You want to take this outside?” Collins asked the mayor.

Seeing no other way to solve the issue, Scott agreed.

Monorail! Cory Vaillancourt photo illustration “If that’s what it’s going to take, so be it,” he said, getting up from his chair and placing his gavel inside his coat pocket.

Hoots and hollers erupted from the audience as they all followed Collins and Scott outside to the parking lot, though they weren’t exactly sure what the fight was about or who they should even be rooting for.

Collins, in his 60s, and Scott, in his 70s, put up their fists and circled around each other for a few minutes while still hurling insults at each other. Collins reached his breaking point when Scott went for the jugular — bringing up Collins’ censure from years ago when he was mayor. Collins swung his right fist with all his might and made direct contact with Scott’s jaw. The impact immediately knocked Scott to the ground.

Collins, amazed at his own strength and riled up by the screaming onlookers, raised his arms in victory. He was so busy celebrating he didn’t notice the car speeding down Main Street until it plowed into his side, placing him on the concrete right next to Scott.

As both men lay on the pavement moaning in pain, Vice Mayor Barbara McRae quietly made her way through the crowd, gingerly leaned down to retrieve the gavel from Scott’s pocket and reconvened the meeting.

“Glad that’s over. Maybe we can finally move on now,” she said, banging the gavel down.

Fake News FREAKOUT!!

was instead on the level. Lanley said the monorail was Springfield … err, Maggie Valley’s only choice, to which the populace raised its voice — “Monorail, monorail, monorail!” Lanley later made an appearance in front of a room of local third-graders before leaving town with a suitcase full of shattered hopes and broken dreams.

ITINERANT MONORAIL JACKSON COMMISSIONERS SALESMAN’S SONG-AND-DANCE BATTLE MEETING ADDICTION CAPTIVATES MAGGIE VALLEY The five-member Jackson County Board After putting towns like Brockway, Ogdenville and North Haverbrook on the map with his genuine bona-fide electrified six-car monorail, traveling huckster Lyle Lanely overcame initial speculation that his was “more of a Shelbyville idea,” while revealing his vision of a rejuvenated Maggie Valley over the course of a seemingly impromptu musical number that left locals sufficiently roused as to spontaneously break into song.

Hoping to allay concerns raised by citizens at the meeting, Lanley, a grifter by trade, said the monorail glides as softly as a cloud, and that there’s no chance the track could bend.

Additionally, brain-dead slobs would be given cushy jobs according to Lanley, who added that he was not sent by the devil, but

of Commissioners will launch a weekly support group meeting to squelch what multiple doctors have diagnosed as an unhealthy addiction to meetings.

The Jackson Commissioners’ BMI — or Board Meeting Index — had always been on the high side of normal, but their recent decision to designate themselves as the health and social services board in addition to existing responsibilities alerted physicians to the seriousness of the symptoms.

“Unfortunately, once an addiction is developed it never goes away — it can only be managed,” said local doctor and former health board member Cliff Faull. “While a support group could prove an effective tool to work through the problem, commissioners

SYLVA TO RECEIVE WORLD’S FIRST SKYHOOK

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The study showed that, unbeknownst to election officials, recently ordered ballot boxes were mistakenly constructed of a powerfully magnetic material. The magnet then interacted with metals from the pens used to mark the paper ballots, causing the pile of discarded ballots to levitate in the air and place itself in the box, free of human assistance.

“We will definitely have to upgrade our poll worker training program to account for this issue,” said EBCI Election Board Chair Denise Ballard, struggling to stay standing as the box’s magnetic force attempted to draw her in by her bracelets. “I myself will have to remember to wear only non-metallic accessories when coming to work. Or maybe we should just get new ballot boxes instead.”

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WALK-IN’S WELCOME ORDER OF THE LONG LEAF PINE GIVEN TO ACTUAL

Amidst the near-incessant din of twostroke chainsaw motors clattering away 24 hours a day, local economic development officials brushed off the recent failure of a pie-inthe-sky monorail project to instead laud the triple-digit, year-over-year growth in total wages paid by Maggie Valley’s chic and lucrative chainsaw art industry. Occupancy in the downtown Chainsaw District is near 100 percent, and formerly shuttered restaurants, bars and hotels near the intersection of Stihl Street and Husqvarna Avenue are now alive with billowy white clouds of smoke and whimsicallycarved bears, dragons and Harley Davidson logos. Operators also reported a brisk tourist trade in sculptures of longleaf pine trees, carved from actual longleaf pine trees.

LONGLEAF PINE Despite running out of living human beings upon whom to bestow the prestigious Order of the Long Leaf Pine, North Carolina’s highest civilian honor, Gov. Roy Cooper traveled last month to Western North Carolina to award the award to an actual longleaf pine.

As the unofficial state tree of North Carolina, the longleaf pine can grow to more than 100 feet in height and reach a diameter of nearly 4 feet, like the one so honored by Cooper in the Cowee Mountains of Swain County. When reached for comment, the tree refused to speak because it’s a tree, and because it’s also not actually a longleaf pine — pinus palustris is not native to most of the state, including Western North Carolina.

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Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

In a move expected to reduce traffic congestion along N.C. 107 while improving Sylva’s profile in the tourism industry, the N.C. Department of Transportation will employ a groundbreaking new approach to transportation infrastructure — the skyhook.

Expected to be operational by 2027, the skyhook will offer high-velocity transportation between designated nodes in Jackson County, including the Cullowhee airport, Harris Regional Hospital and a yet-to-bedeveloped landing pad along U.S. 74. Due to the impressive energy potential afforded by the skyhook’s tethering point on the dark side of the moon, each trip will take only 30 seconds, with the skyhook capable of holding up to 10 cars at a time.

“This is a better outcome than we could ever have hoped for,” said Jackson County Smart Roads Alliance organizer Jay Coward.

“Forget smart roads. From now on, Jackson County is all about smart skies.”

The project is expected to cost approximately $87 billion, with completion dependent upon timely creation of a national Space Force to install the moon tether.

Fake News FREAKOUT!!

news

should avoid establishing a regular schedule for the gathering so as to prevent feeding the addiction.”

Despite the doctor’s advice, commissioners have elected to hold the support group weekly at 5 p.m. on Tuesdays — three out of four weeks, it will fall conveniently right before or after a meeting or work session on the existing schedule.

MORE BREAKDANCING COWBOYS A stunning revelation uttered last week

See IDIOT, P.49 5

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Rich Price.

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME AWARD

B

Smoky Mountain News

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

efore we ring in the New Year, The Smoky Mountain News likes to look back and reflect on the last year of news.

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The headlines that have graced our pages in 2018 have had an important impact on the people of Western North Carolina, and our staff has taken its job of reporting and analyzing those issues seriously.

However, just before those news stories become part of this region’s history and before we head into 2019, we like to look back at the year and highlight a little of the humor in the issues we’ve reported on all year.

Our annual “Spoof Awards” pay tribute to the people, places and events that have rounded out 2018. Congratulations to those who made this year’s award list. And if you didn’t make it in 2018, there’s plenty of time in the coming year to leave your mark.

During the course of any news reporter’s year, they’ll likely come across hundreds of interesting people — some of them with names remarkably suited to their profession. In that spirit, we’re proud to present the “Rose by any Other Name Award” to Jackson County Economic Developer Rich Price, needle exchange proponent Jeremy Sharp, Jackson County physician Dr. Cliff Faull and North Carolina House of Representatives fundraising leader Rep. Nelson Dollar. Barring some sort of abrupt and tawdry career change, Jackson County TDA Director Nick Breedlove remains ineligible for this award.

THE MARGARET MEAD AWARD “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world.

Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has,” — Margaret Mead, anthropologist It can be difficult to find the bright side when your community seems to be in the midst of an unbeatable war against drugs.

With more opioids, heroin and meth on the streets than ever before, our rural communities are feeling the impact. Our jails are over capacity, homeless shelters are full, mental health and rehabilitation facilities have long waiting lists, law enforcement budgets are climbing and the criminal justice system is backlogged.

The problem is overwhelming. How do you even know where to begin?

The Margaret Mead Award goes to the small group of thoughtful, committed citizens in Haywood County working toward improving the situation one step at a time.

To Sheriff Greg Christopher and Waynesville Police Chief Bill Hollingsed for their leadership in educating the community about the opioid crisis and their willingness to look for solutions outside the realm of incarceration.

To the many people who helped establish the Haywood Pathways Center to give people a second chance at life and who placed peer support specialists inside the jail to work with inmates. To the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition LEAD program and its law enforcement partners for diverting people with mental health issues and/or drug addiction from jail to rehab. To Superior Court Judge Bradley Letts for implementing a pretrial release program to address the issues within the criminal justice system.

With all these pieces coming together in 2018, Haywood County is well on its way to a healthier 2019.

THE FRANK SINATRA AWARD This award is set aside for someone who has insisted on doing things “My Way” and has said to hell with the critics and the consequences. In 2018, that person was Waynesville defense attorney Mark Melrose.

Love him or hate him, he’s a man of great principle. Time and time again, Melrose has shown he’s not afraid to stand up to the powerful and defend the undefendable — even when it’s not the popular decision.

Melrose has caught a lot of flack in the past for the clients he’s chosen to represent, but has never backed down from providing them their constitutional right to a strong defense. After all, that is his job. This year he made headlines when he represented the Knibbs family after a Macon County Sheriff ’s deputy shot and killed 40-year-old Scott Knibbs inside his own home.

Melrose wasted no time defending Knibbs and going after the sheriff ’s deputy, claiming the man’s second and fourth amendment rights were violated when the rookie deputy shot at Scott through the window six times.

Defense attorney Mark Melrose speaks at a rally to honor the life of his client Scott Knibbs, who was shot and killed by a Macon County Sheriff’s deputy. Donated photo

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THE FOURTH TIME’S A CHARM AWARD

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. And then again. And, again. That strategy worked for Rep. Mike Clampitt, RBryson City, two years ago when his third contest against Democratic representative , and Waynesville architect Joe Sam Queen o finally resulted in a victory. But that strategy

of persistence also worked for Queen — the winner of our “Fourth Time’s a Charm Award” this year after narrowly defeatng Clampitt.

In the fourth installment of what has become Western North Carolina’s longestrunning political feud, Queen eked his way back into the North Carolina General Assembly for a third term, largely on the heels of a major vote swing in Jackson County. Queen’s victory was particularly integral to state Dem aspirations of breaking the Republican legislative supermajority that rendered Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto power little more than an adorable, futile gesture and again gives the largest county in the district a native voice in the legislature.

As of press time, there was no word on whether or not voters can look forward to a re-re-re-re-match in 2020.

THE HERDING CATS AWARD Anyone who’s ever tried to make a cat do anything that’s not its own idea knows why the phrase “herding cats” refers to a logisti-

cal task so difficult as to be nearly impossible — but somehow, Western Carolina University managed to do the undoable when it corralled 11,639 Catamounts for this fall’s record-breaking enrollment.

Fall 2018 represented a 5.48 percent enrollment increase over fall 2017, about twice the growth Western had been aiming for. Of those 11,639 students, 2,189 were first-time, full-time freshmen, making 2018 the first time that freshmen enrollment topped 2,000. The average GPA and SAT score saw a boost as well, with an average 3.92 weighted high school GPA and 1149 SAT score in fall 2018 compared to a 3.83

GPA and 1115 SAT score in 2017. The number of transfer students skyrocketed by 40 percent, rising from 786 to 1,105.

University officials gave the N.C. Promise Tuition Reduction Program much of the credit for these startling figures. The program, which caps WCU tuition at $500 per semester for in-state undergraduates and $2,500 for out-of-state undergraduates, launched this year and caused a surge of interest in the mountain university.

According to a freshman class survey conducted this fall, 83 percent of respondents saw affordability as the single most important factor or a large factor in deciding where to go to college, with 30 percent of respondents who were eligible for incomebase Pell Grants saying they would not have attended any university at all if it weren’t for N.C. Promise.

Interest is only likely to continue as word spreads about N.C. Promise and the undergraduate experience at Western. To meet the future demand, WCU will have to

Smoky Mountain News

Melrose also wasn’t afraid to take shots at District Attorney Ashley Welch and Macon Sheriff Robert Holland for the way they handled the incident — not a way to make friends in Western North Carolina, especially when you’re running for Superior Court Judge. That’s right — while all this was going on Melrose was also running for office against Democrat incumbent Judge Bradley Letts. Who does that? Mark Melrose, that’s who! Though he lost the election and the SBI cleared the deputy in the Knibbs case, at least Melrose can say “I did what I had to do and saw it through.”

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

More than 5,000 WCU students typically gather in Central Plaza on the Cullowhee campus for Valley Ballyhoo, the annual start-of-fall-semester festival that includes information booths, food and entertainment. WCU photo

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2018, CONTINUED FROM 7 adjust its offerings in many ways — including, perhaps, adding a degree program in cat herding.

THE ‘BYE, FELICIA’ AWARD North Carolina’s only elected tax collector, Haywood Republican Mike Matthews, had been dogged since before he was even sworn in to office in late 2014 — the Democrat he defeated at the polls was rehired by the county; his swearing-in was delayed by bonding troubles; commissioners blasted his work ethic and knowledge of onthe-job duties; an unfounded internal complaint about Matthews investigated by an

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

Mike Matthews . outside attorney was leaked to The Mountaineer newspaper; commissioners unanimously passed a resolution asking Haywood’s Republican state legislators to make the position an appointed one; he voluntarily repaid property tax penalties improperly waived by him and his clerks; and a fellow Republican tried to knock him off in the 2018 primary.

Matthews persevered through all of it, claiming current and former commissioners

had nursed a vendetta against him because of his slim 2014 electoral victory over popular incumbent David Francis. After his Nov. 6 loss at the polls to Democrat Greg West, Matthews seemed just as happy to go as commissioners were to see him go, which is why this year’s “Bye, Felicia” award goes to the Haywood County Board of Commissioners, from Mike Matthews.

THE BARGAIN BASEMENT AWARD Few Haywood County traditions provoke more nostalgia, more optimism and more heated discussion than a certain amusement park located on a certain mountain in a certain … OK, it’s Maggie Valley’s long-languishing Ghost Town in the Sky amusement park atop Buck Mountain, and the other thing it seems to provoke is hare-brained revitalization attempts surrounded by charlatans and shenanigans.

The latest attempt was that of a group headed by Louisiana businessman Lamar Berry; the announcement of a possible reopening this past spring brought great optimism to the valley, but after a string of broken promises, missed deadlines and a dearth of visible progress — topped off with a general lack of and disdain for open communication with the community — things began to fall apart.

First it was a series of anonymous letters delivered to the offices of The Smoky Mountain News; then it was an investigation revealing Berry’s pattern of dubious business dealings that have included failure, fraud and deception; then it was a $52,000 lien by a local construction firm alleging they hadn’t been paid for their work.

But perhaps the last straw was Berry’s alleged failure to pay his $3,300 hotel bill, which prompted him to take up residence in the basement of the park’s elderly owner

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Tribal Council chambers are still off-limits to media outlets other than the Cherokee One Feather following a ban enacted in April. File photo

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THE OFF WITH THEIR PENS AWARD happening on the other side of the wall.

As far as 2019 is concerned, SMN simply intends to continue painting the pages red, painting the pages red. We will not stop or a word drop until it’s all correct.

THE SEEING RED AWARD

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8 Locations Serving you in Western North Carolina 721 North Main Street, Waynesville, NC · 452-2216 219 Haywood Street, Asheville, NC · 252-8234 1453 Sand Hill Road, Candler, NC · 667-7245 3270 Hendersonville Road, Fletcher, NC · 684-9999 746 East Main Street, Franklin, NC · 524-4464 8005 NC Highway 141, Murphy, NC · 837-0460 30 Highway 107, Sylva, NC · 586-0425 3533 US 441 North, Whittier, NC · 497-6211

Smoky Mountain News

Western North Carolina’s an out-of-theway little place — rural, rugged and remote — and as such, major trends in art, literature, music and politics hit Haywood County a little later than the rest of the state and country. For years, Haywood has been well in line with the national trend of Democratheavy urban areas; all four incorporated municipalities have Democrat-majority town boards, and Democrat mayors. Where Haywood’s bucked the trend — until this year — was in having a Democrat-majority county commission. Usually, rural and unincorporated areas like much of Haywood are dominated by conservative voters.

In 2016, the commission took a step to the right with the election of Canton Republican Brandon Rogers; he currently occupies the seat of former Democratic Chairman Mark Swanger, who declined to stand for re-election that year. Rogers’ victory tilted the commission from a 4 to 1 Dem majority to a tighter 3 to 2 tally. This past November, however, the retirement of Democrat Bill Upton and the availability of two Dem-held seats gave Republicans an opportunity to gain a majority, and they seized it, winning not one but two seats to give them a 4 to 1 majority and control of the commission for the very first time.

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Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

Just as white roses proved an affront to the Queen of Hearts, so did the Cherokee Tribal Council find accurate reporting so offensive that it enacted an “off with their pens” policy this April, voting to ban all media outside The Cherokee One Feather from sitting in its chambers.

The vote came at the request of Councilmember Tommye Saunooke, of Painttown, who in an April Budget Council meeting told Tribal Council that “The Smoky Mountain News is not quoting us right” and that she would be asking Council to prevent SMN reporter Holly Kays from entering the chambers. Two days later, at the body’s monthly legislative meeting, council members voted 11-1 to ban all press besides the Cherokee One Feather.

While Saunooke told Tribal Council that the policy was needed because SMN had quoted her incorrectly in a March 14 story about a delay in funding a crisis stabilization unit, a review of the tribe’s meeting videos — which are freely available online — showed that the quote in the story matched what was stated in the meeting.

Additionally, emails between Saunooke and Kays showed that Saunooke was given an opportunity to clarify or otherwise correct her statement and declined to do so.

The Cherokee One Feather came out immediately in opposition to the policy, publishing a number of editorials on the topic and sponsoring a resolution to repeal the ban. However, the resolution was withdrawn to allow for a meeting between media outlets and council members. A meeting date was set and then cancelled, and the ban is still in place today. Tribal Council sessions are livestreamed and archived online, so these days Kays finds a seat in the lobby outside the council chambers, opens her laptop and puts in earbuds to watch the meeting

Wishing Everyone the Absolute

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2018, CONTINUED FROM 9

THE ‘ABOUT DAMN TIME’ AWARD

THE CLOSE THE GATE AWARD

against Republican challengers.

But, perhaps the shift shouldn’t have come as such a surprise, because Jackson County has a history of political flippage. In 2008, all five board members were Democrats, but in 2010 the board became Republican with a 3-2 majority. That remained the case through 2014, when two Democrats won and left Elders the lone Republican on the board. That situation didn’t last long — Republicans Mickey Luker and Ron Mau won election in 2016 and Republicans held a 3-2 majority once more.

Now that 3-2 majority falls to the Democrats — for now. The book is closed

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THE BREWHAHA AWARD Given the uproar caused when a new brewery announced that its inaugural beer would be called the Mothertown Blonde Ale, a permanent spelling change for the Frenchorigin word “brouhaha” just might be warranted.

Launched in March, Seven Clans Brewing was founded by two female enrolled members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians who saw the business — and the names it used — as a way to honor their heritage through craft and storytelling.

But the names hit a nerve with a community that has a history of both staunch opposition to alcohol and a sense of sacredness when it comes to cultural stories. The term “seven clans” refers to the way that Cherokee people trace their genealogy and their place in the tribal community, while “Mothertown” refers to Kituwah, the Cherokee civilization’s place of origin located outside of present-day Bryson City. It was the central point of the tribe’s governmental, spiritual and cultural functions, and Cherokee people still use it as a place to pray and worship.

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For their vocal and persistent opposition to a proposed multi-unit apartment complex just outside the western boundary of Waynesville, the residents of Plott Creek have more than earned this award by packing several Town of Waynesville public meetings as well as a six-hour quasi-judicial proceeding to decry the project as an unwanted eyesore that would only attract child molesters, criminals, litterbugs, lazy ne’er-do-wells and people who change their car’s oil in apartment parking lots because that’s what people who can’t afford mortgages apparently are.

In a county hungry for development but plagued by an affordable housing crisis and home to hundreds of homeless children, residents of Plott Creek — ironically, settled by a German immigrant — were ruled against at every turn but displayed such a

NIMBYesque attitude along the way that the usually mild-mannered Waynesville Mayor Gavin Brown was heard to remark during one meeting that “Some of the logic here tonight is typical, it’s like, ‘I’m here, now let’s close the gate.’” At present, residents of Plott Creek — which is not within the town limits of Waynesville — are an early favorite to win next year’s “Forcing Taxpayers From a Town We Don’t Live In to Engage in Expensive and Protracted Litigation We Will End Up Losing Anyway” award.

As anyone who has ever swung on a tire swing knows, the first rule of the playground is thou shalt take turns. And in the past few election cycles nobody has exemplified this rule better than the Jackson County Board of Commissioners.

The 2018 elections resulted in a win for Democrats, who flipped the board from a 32 Republican majority to a 3-2 Democratic majority when political newcomer Gayle Woody beat out three-term incumbent Charles Elders for the District 1 seat, while Chairman Brian McMahan and Commissioner Boyce Deitz kept their seats

Democrat Gayle Woody is sworn in to a first term on the Jackson County Board of Commissioners. Holly Kays photo

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

None of the Swain County elected officials said it out loud, but we know they were thinking it when the county finally received a $35.2 million check from the federal government this summer.

The check represents the end of a 70-year battle to get the federal government to meet its obligation to Swain County residents after forcing thousands of people off their land to flood the northern part of the county and create Fontana Dam. The government first promised to rebuild the road to allow families access to their old homesteads and cemeteries but that never happened. In 2010, county commissioners finally agreed to a $52 million cash settlement instead of the road, but the feds haven’t wanted to meet that obligation either — until now.

Some good teamwork between North Carolina’s senator and representatives and U.S. Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke finally resulted in the settlement money being paid out just a year before the agreement was set to expire in 2020.

THE SEESAW AWARD

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U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, (from left) Swain County Commission Chairman Phil Carson, State Rep. Mike Clampitt, Sen. Jim Davis, Rep. Kevin Corbin and Sen. Thom Tillis present the North Shore settlement check to Swain County. Jessi Stone photo

A petition to see the names changed began circulating almost immediately, gathering 653 signatures in the month between the brewery’s launch and an April 5 Tribal Council meeting where the issue was discussed. The discussion grew heated and personal at times, lasting for three hours.

Ultimately, Seven Clans co-owner Collette Coggins said that she would stop using the name “Mothertown” after all the beers currently in inventory were sold but that the business would continue to call itself Seven Clans.

Tribal Council then resolved to craft an ordinance that would limit the use of culturally sensitive terms in businesses on the Qualla Boundary. The ordinance was discussed briefly during a Tribal Council meeting Aug. 1, but a draft has yet to be presented and placed on the agenda.

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2018, CONTINUED FROM 11 on 2018, but 2020 will come soon enough.

Round and around and around it goes, and where it stops, nobody knows.

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

THE DUMBLEDORE AWARD Like the beloved Hogwarts headmaster, former Western Carolina University Chancellor David O. Belcher was a beloved and integral member of the educational community he was charged with leading.

And, just as Dumbledore’s death tore a void in the fictional world of Hogwarts, so Belcher’s passing left a hole in the Catamount Nation.

After more than six years at the helm, Belcher stepped down from his post on Dec. 31, 2017, following an ongoing battle with brain cancer. He was originally diagnosed in April 2016, undergoing surgery followed by radiation and chemotherapy. But the cancer returned, and he embarked on a new treatment regimen in August 2017, which ultimately proved unsuccessful. Belcher went on medical leave beginning Jan. 1 and passed away on Sunday, June 17 — Father’s Day. The university community has made its support of and love for Belcher and his wife Susan known every step of the way, with more than 800 people filling the performance hall at the John W. Bardo Performing Arts Center for his memorial service June 23.

University, community and political leaders alike released statements commemorating his commitment to the university, outgoing nature and famously jovial sense of humor.

During Belcher’s tenure at WCU, endowed scholarships increased dramatically, freshman retention skyrocketed and important capital projects got underway, to name a few accomplishments. Provost Allison Morrison-Shetlar has been serving as acting chancellor while the search continues for the university’s next leader.

“We’re not going to get another Dr. Belcher,” WCU alum Ted Yoder said during a Feb. 5 community forum to gather input on the search. “We’ve got to watch the danger of expecting too much. We can’t find somebody just like him — there’s nobody like him.”

THE HOT MESS AWARD Smoky Mountain News

It might sound simplistic, but there’s not really another term that better suits the University of North Carolina System Board of Governors right now — especially as it relates to the still-ongoing search for Western Carolina University’s new chancellor.

After months spent holding community meetings, reviewing applications, interviewing candidates and discussing and deliberating the possibilities, WCU thought it had completed the task it never wanted to have — replacing Chancellor David O. Belcher, who died of brain cancer in June. The board of trustees had appointed a search committee, which followed the search process outlined by UNC System President Margaret Spellings and arrived at three names to send to trustees for approval, from which Spellings chose one name to put forward to 12 the Board of Governors.

Belcher receives a hug from a pair of WCU students during an impromptu rally held in April 2016, the day after he announced that he’d been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Mark Haskett photo

But after a two-hour closed session meeting July 12 the Board of Governors never voted on the nomination, and the candidate eventually withdrew his name from consideration. In a July 16 statement, Chairman Harry Smith said that the board would be completing “an expedited review of the chancellor search process in an effort to refine and improve it,” ostensibly resuming the WCU search under the revised guidelines.

The new guidelines were expected in September, but the September meeting was cancelled due to Hurricane Florence. In a Sept. 7 WCU Board of Trustees meeting, Chair Pat Kaemmerling told the board that she’d been advised WCU could resume its search process and that the new search guidelines would apply only to future searches — the quest for the next chancellor would continue using the same process as before.

The search committee is currently accepting applications for the job through Jan. 4,

with a review and interview process planned to extend through February. The goal is to have a new chancellor in place for the fall 2019 semester.

But there are still plenty of variables in that equation, one being the occupant of the president’s office. In October, Spellings — who has often found herself at odds with a board whose membership has nearly turned over since her 2015 hire — announced that she would be leaving the UNC system.

Former UNC Health Care CEO and UNC School of Medicine dean Dr. Bill Roper has been named as the interim president while a nationwide search unfolds. It remains to be seen whether a new president will be in place before WCU submits its nominations or if Roper will still occupy that office — and, too, whether or not the board of governors will give the new candidate a vote.

It’s well known that Raleigh is hot and that politics are messy, but the Catamount Nation is remaining hopeful that a new chancellor will soon be chosen, life will go on and the hot mess of Raleigh will stay far away from the peaceful cool of Cullowhee.

THE DRANO AWARD An obtusely worded state law passed in 2017 earns this award for busting — at least partially — a clog in Jackson County’s economic development caused by high hookup fees from the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer

Authority.

TWSA had long drawn criticism for the fees it charged customers to begin or expand water and sewer service. Especially for highuse customers like restaurants, the up-front charges could figure in the tens of thousands of dollars, with one business owner complaining to TWSA in February that he would need to fork over $50,000 to expand his restaurant in a new location in Sylva.

House Bill 436 required water and sewer utilities like TWSA to follow a uniform process to decide how much, if anything, they should charge in upfront fees, with that process resulting in a maximum amount that could be legally charged. TWSA was found to be charging mostly below the calculated ceiling for residential customers but mostly above it for commercial customers.

The board ultimately chose to set its fees at about 75 percent of the legal ceiling. The change will make it significantly easier for businesses to establish and expand, but still not cheap — the restaurant owner who in February was looking at $50,000 to move to a new location, for example, would be charged about $17,000 under the new fee structure.

TWSA members are divided on the current situation, with some saying that the fees should be cut further or completely eliminated and others lamenting that they had to be changed at all. Either way, it never hurts to keep a little Drano on hand.

The Bryson City Police Department’s reputation is undoubtedly soiled after a K-9 officer died while in the possession of one of its officers — who wasn’t actually a certified officer yet, much less a K-9 handler.

Kanon was donated to Bryson City by Throw Away Dogs Project, a nonprofit

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THE GIVE A DOG A BAD NAME AWARD

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Carol Skaziak, founder of Throw Away Dogs Project, donated K-9 trained Kanon to the Bryson City Police Department. Donated photo

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organization in Pennsylvania that rescues dogs and trains them for law enforcement.

In desperate need of a drug dog, the police department gladly accepted the donation, but the happy news soon became a tragic tale as the police department made one bad call after another that ultimately led to Kanon’s death.

In accepting the donation, the department agreed to certain contract terms, but broke a number of them as their plans for Kanon quickly went south. The original handler backed out of the commitment — which meant Kanon should have been returned to Throw Away Dogs — but Police Chief Greg Jones was determined to keep him. Kanon was placed with a new hire Jeff Fowler even though he hadn’t received his state certification yet and had never been a K-9 handler before.

Months later Jones said he got the call one morning in March that Kanon was found dead in his kennel outside at Fowler’s house. Cause of death was assumed to be asphyxiation from choking on a piece of plastic he tore off from his doghouse, but no one will ever know for sure since Jones had the dog cremated before an autopsy could be done.

Throw Away Dogs founder Carol Skaziak is still looking for answers and justice for her beloved K-9 but the SBI passed on a full investigation stating that it was unlikely a criminal offense could be proven. After the debacle, Bryson City Mayor Tom Sutton said it was extremely unlikely the department - would ever get another K-9.

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THE SUGAR DADDY AWARD news

Mission Health had a good run as a nonprofit health care system serving Western North Carolina, but as the industry continues to change and medical costs continue to rise, Mission leaders said the writing was on the wall. No longer able to pay all the bills on Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements alone, Mission did what any other parent company would do to take care of its family.

To survive and thrive, Mission would need to find someone with deeper pockets who wouldn’t mind taking on its low-income Western North Carolina patients and all the baggage that comes along with them.

In walks HCA Healthcare, a huge forprofit system based in Tennessee. They promise Mission the world, saying everything will be OK and that they’ll love WNC just like their own. Sure, HCA doesn’t have the best reputation and has broken many hearts along the way, but surely it’s matured since the days of CFO Rick Scott. And look, Rick Scott went on to be governor of Florida so HCA can’t be all bad right? At least the lights will stay on and no one will go hungry — we hope.

Eric Giles, a candidate for Macon County Sheriff, received a Giglio Order from District Attorney Ashley Welch’s office claiming he was no longer a credible witness for prosecutors. Jessi Stone photo

THE ADDING INSULT TO INJURY AWARD

Urban Dictionary defines Giglio as “A good looking Italian-American from New Jersey, New York, Las Vegas or Italy,” but that’s far from the definition of the Giglio Order issued to Eric Giles in late August.

When Giles — a Cherokee County sheriff ’s deputy who was also in the midst of running for Macon County Sheriff —

THE ‘I AIN’T NEVER’ AWARD The Homestead hospice house in Clyde will be renovated into a wound care and sleep center next year while hospice patients will be cared for at the main Haywood Regional Medical Center building. File photo received a Giglio Order from District Attorney Ashley Welch’s office in late August, it meant he wouldn’t be able to testify in court against defendants he arrested. It meant something Giles said or did had made him an unreliable witness for the DA’s Office. Such an order can ruin a law enforcement officer’s career — if you can’t testify in court for your own cases, then how can you continue to make arrests?

DA Ashley Welch said she has issued a handful of Giglio Orders during her four years in office and it typically leads to the officer losing his or her job or at least being placed behind a desk. So Giles must have done something horrible right? Well, it’s still unclear exactly what he did to be Giglioed.

The order mentioned him misrepresenting his duties as an officer at a public candidate forum, but Giles claimed he had simply mis-

spoken and tried to correct it as soon as he realized what he had said. Then information was released that Giles had been fired from Graham County Sheriff ’s Office a few years ago when he was telling news outlets he had left on his own accord. He was fired for conduct unbecoming of an officer after school security cameras caught him and a female student entering and exiting a high school gym together at 3 a.m. The female student came forward and told The Smoky Mountain News that nothing inappropriate had happened with Giles, but the damage was already done.

Still for some, the allegations didn’t rise to the level of a Giglio Order. Giles’ supporters saw it as a political move on the DA’s part to discredit him before the election since Welch has been an avid supporter of incumbent Sheriff Robert Holland. In the end,

Petty politics are fairly common in these parts when it comes election time, but the Swain County Sheriff race reached a new level of drama this year.

The theatrics started early with Swain County resident Jerry Lowery filing a candidate challenge against incumbent Sheriff Curtis Cochran right after he signed up to run for another term. Lowery claimed Cochran wasn’t eligible to run for office because he was dishonorably discharged from the military — an offense he equated with a felony. Since the burden of proof is on the candidate during a challenge, Lowery thought he’d force Cochran to present his DD-214 military form to explain his dismissal from the U.S. Marines but it turned out Cochran didn’t have one. While the National Personnel Records Center confirmed Cochran only served in the military for a couple of months before being discharged, a spokesperson said the unusual circumstances of him not having a DD-214

Smoky Mountain News

THE ‘YOU GOT GIGLIOED’ AWARD

Giles lost the election but got to keep his job after Cherokee County Sheriff Derrick Palmer claimed Welch wouldn’t show him any evidence against Giles.

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

Some things are sacred and deserve the greatest of care, including the sick and the elderly. Everyone deserves some peace and dignity when it’s their time to go, but Haywood Regional Medical Center earned this award when leaders decided the bottomline was more important.

HRMC recently announced a decision to turn The Homestead, a six-bed cozy hospice center, into wound care and sleep study center and move the hospice patients back into the cold, sterile hospital building for their final days.

Adding insult to injury, the Homestead was constructed using private donations from people in the community who wanted their loved ones to be in a home-like environment before they passed instead of at the main hospital. The facility, which sits on land donated by the hospital, was then donated to the hospital.

While HRMC CEO Rod Harkleroad said an in-hospital hospice model will be more efficient for staff and patients, community members insist it’s not the same and hospice patients shouldn’t be in the hospital with the general population.

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The challenge was dismissed by the Swain County Board of Elections and then by the state board of elections. Lowery said Cochran retaliated against him by having Jackson County deputies arrest him on a 10year-old warrant right outside the board of elections office where the first challenge hearing was held in Bryson City. It was quite the scene leaving the packed room of people thinking, “Well, I ain’t never.”

As the election season trudged on, Cochran and his opponent, Rocky Sampson, kept the drama going with jabs at one another. Sampson, who was working for the Bryson City Police Department when he announced his plans to run against Cochran, said Cochran tried to get Police Chief Greg Jones to fire him by claiming Sampson had been fired for misconduct in Clay County. A quick call to Clay County Sheriff cleared Sampson’s name and Jones kept him on the payroll, but it wasn’t good enough for Cochran, who retaliated by suspending mutual aid to the town of Bryson City.

Despite the petty political moves, Cochran was elected to another term.

THE TOILET HUMOR AWARD

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

As the Franklin Town Council members seriously debated — with straight faces even — the best bathroom options for the town’s Pickin’ in the Square event during the summer, members of the Fourth Estate sat there

trying to maintain the poker faces we’ve been trained to have during such events.

The discussion of pros and cons of portable toilets versus a portable toilet trailer went on for about half an hour while reporters came up with at least a dozen different possible headlines to encapsulate the ridiculous hilarity of the conversation. If not for the low-hanging potty humor, it might not have even been a story, but this Smoky Mountain News reporter couldn’t resist the “Pickin’ Potties” headline that accompanied the story. This award goes to the town council in appreciation for the comic relief.

THE BILL LUMBERGH AWARD While the word is that Jackson County’s health and social services departments were handling their TPS reports just fine, county commissioners thought it would be just grreeaaat if the departments would go ahead and combine anyway, mmmkay?

A 2012 state law gave counties the ability to combine departments offering various human services, and when the Jackson County Commission flipped to a Republican majority in 2016, its members began exploring the possibility of a consolidation in Jackson County. Democratic members were against the idea, saying that the departments were functioning admirably as-is and that efforts to fix what isn’t broken would be a waste of time and money, while Republican members insisted that consolidating the departments would improve services and save money.

Swain County resident Jerry Lowery (right) and Swain County Sheriff Curtis Cochran appear before the local board of elections to discuss the candidate challenge Lowery filed against Cochran. Jessi Stone photo

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An improperly located business was nudged out of its Dellwood City Road digs earlier this year. Cory Vaillancourt photo

This award goes to the people of Western North Carolina for sending a clear message to the North Carolina Utilities Commission that the rate increase request from Duke Energy Progress was nothing short of preposterous.

It’s a rare and glorious sight when people of different ages and political, socio-economic and educational backgrounds can all come together to share their disgust and hatred for the same cause — in this case the fury was aimed at the largest utility company in the state. Everyone balked at Duke’s request for an 18 percent rate hike, especially looking at Duke’s profit margins

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THE ROLLING THE DICE AWARD Last summer, Town of Waynesville employees were caught somewhat by surprise when a Las Vegas-style sign advertising “nudge” gambling popped up outside a Dellwood City Road building that was once home to an auto dealership. They were surprised because the owner of Nudge City, Tami Nicholson, shouldn’t have been allowed to open up as she hadn’t applied for a zoning permit — probably because the retail business wouldn’t have qualified for one anyway.

The building is near to and just below one of the town’s oldest, most historic neighborhoods, the Love Lane Residential District, and retail isn’t allowed in that particular district, so it was only a matter of time until the whole thing crapped out. But the machines are big business, which must have made it worth the risk to operate at the location despite the noncompliance. As the town worked through procedures designed to delineate where, exactly, such businesses could be located, Nicholson was subsequently indicted on felony gambling charges, just as her Dellwood City Road business was nudged out of its digs in March. No word yet on whether or not she’ll double down.

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Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

The public disagreed. During a Jan. 29 public hearing, all 11 people offering comment — they were, by and large, people with extensive professional experience in the health and social services fields — opposed consolidation.

Nevertheless, commissioners said they were gonna need the departments to consolidate, appointing a new consolidated board that made its disdain for the decision quite clear, ultimately voting to delay hire of a director for the consolidated department — the new position would draw a salary between $74,000 and $145,000 — until after the November elections. That move angered Republican commissioners, who voted to disband the board completely, unconsolidate the departments and place themselves as the boards of health and social services.

In other news, a remodel of the aging health department building is underway, and Jackson County could well find itself in need of replacements for some mysteriously smashed-up copy machines. No word yet on whether fish-cleaning will be permitted on desks in the new digs.

and their business practices.

Duke actually thought it would be acceptable to ask its customers to help pay for the costs associated with closing its 14 coal ash basins across the state, even though the company had been warned repeatedly about the environmental concerns associated with the practice yet continued to use them.

Residents across the state still haven’t forgotten the coal ash spill that occurred Feb. 2, 2014, when about 39,000 tons of coal ash were released into the Dan River from Duke Energy’s Dan River Steam Station storage pond north of Eden. Duke customers made it clear through public comment that the utility company needed to clean up its own mess and foot the bill.

Not only did the commission deny Duke Energy’s initial request to generate an additional $611 million a year with a rate increase for its 2 million customers, it also ordered the corporation to refund $60 million in deferred taxes to customers and to pay $70 million in fines for the coal ash disaster — showing that the power still lies with the people.

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What Are Cannabinoids?

Cannabinoids are a group of closely related compunds that act on cannbinoid receptors in the body, unique to cannabis (or hemp). The body creates compounds called endocannabinoids, while hemp produces phytocannabinoids, notably cannabidiol.

Cannabinoids is traditionally used for pain, sleep, and fibermyalgia.

Alzheimer’s Migraines Asthma Breast Cancer

Diabetes Crohn’s Disease

Prostate Cancer Menstrual Cancer

CBD has traditionally been used for: Anxiety/Depression Seizures Pain/Fibromyalgia Nausea/Vomiting Sleep Tremors PTSD ADHD/ADD Autism

The Endocannabinoid System is perhaps the most important physiologic systerm involved in establishing and maintaining human health. Although the endocannabinoid system affects a wide variety of biological processes, experts believe that its overall function is to regulate homeostasis.

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Smoky Mountain News

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

BiLo Shopping Center | facebook.com/kimspharmacy

18

Community Almanac

Smoky Mountain News

Capt. Glen a big brother in blue Capt. Glen Matayabas of the Haywood Sheriff ’s Department became the second big brother in blue to officially be matched in Big Brothers Big Sisters of WNC — Haywood County’s “Bigs With Badges” program.

Launched earlier this year in partnership with the Haywood County Sheriff ’s Department and Canton Police Department, and funded by the Haywood Community Foundation, Bigs With Badges enrolls law enforcement officials in professionally-supported mentoring relationships with elementary-aged children who are facing adversity. The friendships created in the Bigs With Badges program give officers a unique opportunity to better understand the communities they are serving while providing youth with a window into the many beneficial things that law enforcement officials do throughout their communities.

Officer Matayabas’ new Little Brother, Riley, is a third-grade student at Hazelwood Elementary and will be meeting with his new Big Brother for one hour each week during school hours where the two of them will combine a focus on educational material with plenty of opportunities for fun, including board games, school work, computer research, reading, artwork or outdoor activities.

“I saw someone in need and I knew that I needed to help this third grader,” said Matabayas. “When I found out that no one had yet accepted this opportunity, I told Chief Haynes that I would be happy to make this commitment,” he said adding that when he learned that Riley had been on the waiting list for almost a year — he became even more certain he’d made the right choice in committing.

So far, Haywood Big Brothers Big Sisters has had three law enforcement volunteers step forward, two from the Canton Police Department and one from the Haywood Sheriff ’s Department.

For more information about mentoring a child in Haywood County, call Martha Barksdale at 828.273.3601 or haywood@bbbswnc.org.

Humane society earns designation The Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society recently earned a Certified Rabies Vaccinator designation from the state that will allow its staff members to administer rabies vaccinations.

The rabies vaccine must be administered only by a veterinarian, registered veterinary technician under the direct supervision of a veterinarian, or a certified rabies vaccinator (CRV). There are approximately 350 approved certified rabies vaccinators in the state.

In the 31-year history of CHHS, the shelter has never had one staff person approved by the county and state to be a CRV. Shelter staff ends up taking the stray (or owner-surrendered pet) to a veterinarian and CHHS pays for the vaccination.

“We still don’t have one CRV on staff,” said CHHS Executive Director David Stroud. “We have two!”

After a lengthy and comprehensive examination, training and approval process, Shelter Manager Kaitlyn Moss and Assistant Manager Jodi Henkel have become the first CHHS team members to earn the CRV certification.

CHHS will now offer several low-cost rabies vaccination clinics throughout the year to the general public to help folks keep their personal pets

safe and in compliance with NC law. Rabies vaccinations will also be offered for personal pets on an appointment-only basis at the shelter located at 200 Gable Drive in Sapphire.

828.743.5752.

WNC Hospice House close to goal With the help of two North Carolina organizations, Hospice House Foundation of WNC has reached nearly 80 percent of its $4.9 million capital campaign goal and is confidently planning to break ground soon on a six-bed hospice inpatient facility on Maple Street in Franklin.

SECU Hospice House, named such in recognition of the State Employees’ Credit Union intention to invest $1 million in this important regional project, will serve hospice patients from the six far western counties of North Carolina and Northeast GA. The Hospice House received a $100,000 grant in support of construction from The Cannon Foundation and a $15,000 “People in Need” grant funded through the Janirve Legacy Fund and Joseph B. Popplewell Family Endowment Fund of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina subsidizing the oversight of the construction project.

Four Seasons Compassion for Life will operate SECU Hospice House once construction is complete in roughly one year.

Foundation awards $1.4 million in grants The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina recently approved grants totaling $1,421,471 to nonprofits across the region. The awards were made in CFWNC’s four focus areas with 66 People in Need grants totaling $1,152,171 going to nonprofits serving economically-disadvantaged populations across the Foundation’s 18county service area.

OnTrack Financial Education and Counseling was awarded $99,500 from the Matched Savings People in Need program to expand their SECURE program to Haywood, Henderson and McDowell counties.

An Early Childhood Development grant of $99,800 was awarded over two years to Children First/Communities In Schools of Buncombe County (CF/CIS) for the Western North Carolina Early Childhood Coalition that builds the public will necessary to shape and influence policy decisions critical to the success of young children.

The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area (BRNHA) was given $25,000 to complete of the

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Blue Ridge Craft Trails, an initiative to increase income for craft artists and businesses, enhance cultural tourism and improve economic opportunity in Western North Carolina.

A permanent charitable resource, the Foundation manages over 1,100 funds and has facilitated more than $234 million in philanthropy since its founding in 1978. Learn more at www.cfwnc.org.

Event grants offered in Jackson County The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority is now accepting grant applications for the 2019-20 fiscal year. This year the TDA reworked the grant program and those who applied in past years should study the changes, said Jackson County TDA Director Nick Breedlove.

TDA grants are used to assist with promoting and supporting events and initiatives that generate overnight visits and increase tourism, along with enhancing visitors’ experiences to Jackson County. Funding comes from occupancy tax collected in Jackson County that is reinvested in the local communities through the grant program.

For-profit entities are now eligible to apply for grant funding, with a one-to-one cash match eligibility; a pre-application workshop is now included as part of the process; the application is now easier to fill out and is provided online only and there are now two grant windows, allowing applicants greater flexibility.

Applications must be received by March 1 for consideration in the first cycle of the upcoming fiscal year’s budget. The grant application may be filled out online and is available at www.JacksonCountyTDA.com by clicking on ‘Grants.’

History of DAR, SAR presented in Swain “The DAR and SAR: Daughters and Sons of the American Revolution” is the topic of presentation at the next meeting of the Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society.

The DAR and the SAR are lineage based organizations for direct descendants of persons who were involved in the United States efforts toward independence. Both organizations promote historical preservation and maintaining the institutions of American freedom. Julie and Steve Greene, members of the DAR and SAR, will be sharing information about the work and history of these organizations, the membership process, obtaining cemetery markers for revolutionary war soldiers, and genealogical and other research resources connected with these organizations.

The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Swain County Regional Business Education and Training Center, 45 East Ridge Drive, Bryson City.

Written directions can be found at www.swaingenealogy.com. Conversation and refreshments will follow the presentation. This is free and open to the public.

20

Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

Serving ‘something larger than themselves’ hen it was reported that Time magazine had named the “guardians” as their person of the year, I have to admit to the sin of pride.

The guardians it was referring to were reporters and journalists, those with media outlets large and small who toil daily to inform on important and fundamental issues so that we might be better citizens.

In particular, Time magazine pointed to Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi journalist murdered by the current Saudi regime; the staff of the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, where five staffers were murdered earlier this year; Reuters reporters imprisoned in Myanmar; and another woman who runs a news site critical of the government the Phillippines. These reporters have been killed, imprisoned or very badly harassed for reporting the truth.

Truth.

That’s the essential word when it comes to what these reporters are being honored for. And in this season when we celebrate faith and encourage our children’s fantasies, perhaps there’s no better time talk about truth and its link to our common good.

The Time magazine article quoted a professor form UNC Chapel Hill. A recent study he led found that in today’s media landscape, even cold hard facts are called into question by those who hold a different viewpoint: “Even things that are demonstrably true, people are skeptical about, and that’s a pretty dangerous slope to be on,” says Marc Hetherington, a political-science professor at the University of North Carolina and author of Why Trust Matters.

If truth becomes debatable, we will lose our cohesiveness as a society. Time pointed to the evolving way authoritarian

W

Elf Parade provided help for seniors To the Editor: Last Saturday, a group of merry elves paraded down the sidewalks of Main Street in Waynesville to pick up donations of blankets, hats and gloves to be distributed to elderly residents of Haywood County.

Carrie Keith, owner of Twigs and Leaves Gallery, assembled a group of 23 different merchants who willingly agreed to be drop off points for the donations.

Mary Margaret Johnson and Julie Mulhern spearheaded the effort for the auxiliary board of Mountain Projects. These ladies assembled over 60 boxes from the donations.

Members of the Tuscola High School Honor Society wrapped the large boxes, which were dropped off at the Mountain Projects Senior Resource Center to be delivered as Christmas presents to elderly residents in need of a little Christmas cheer.

Many thanks to the participating merchants, members of the auxiliary of Mountain Projects, the Honor Society of Tuscola, the

regimes use social media and the internet. Our machines make it impossible to control the amount of information that people receive. Instead, the new method of spreading propaganda is to deliver posts and stories that call into question legitimate information: “The modern despot, finding that more difficult, foments mistrust of credible fact, thrives on the confusion loosed by social media and fashions the illusion of legitimacy from supplicants,” according to Time.

Look, most of this is happening at the national level. We all know — whether there was any collusion is Editor irrelevant to this argument — how the Russians interfered in our election to boost Trump and discredit Hillary Clinton. It’s a fact, and it should scare all of us.

At the beginning of this piece, I noted I was guilty of the sin of pride. Our small regional newspaper — like The Mountaineer, the Sylva Herald, the Franklin Press, the Smoky Mountain Times, the Crossroads Chronicle, the Highlander, and The Macon County News — is still out there trying to help the people of Western North Carolina make their communities a better place, trying to report stories in a way that foment the common good rather than plant the seeds of divisiveness.

But it’s becoming more difficult. This also from the Times article: A poll released in August by the Poynter Institute, a nonprofit devoted to improving journalism, found that more than 70 percent of Americans express either “a fair amount” or “a great deal” of trust in both their local papers and local TV news, even as resources for both continue to shrink. It’s what you might expect of neighbors. At the local level, journalists and community remain mutually reinforcing.

I think that poll holds true for our region. But what if the local newspapers disappeared? Look, the sales staff at our

Scott McLeod

“Stray from the truth, and whoever corrects you can be dismissed as ‘the other side.’ The strategy runs on a dangerous assumption — that we’re not all in this together.”

— Time magazine’s 2018 Person of the Year article

LETTERS Senior Resource Center of Mountain Projects and of course, the merry elves for making Christmas a little brighter for our seniors!

Judy Dikes Waynesville

Graveyard tours are disrespectful To the Editor: I have somewhat followed the issues surrounding the Green Hill Cemetery. I have stayed out of this because we were notified of the rules concerning tombstones in 2009, and again in 2015. My family has been respectful of the rules, and has only placed flowers and flags in the allotted vases.

However, I have recently become aware of the cemetery tours in Green Hill Cemetery.

Not only do I find this extremely disrespectful, but I find this almost sickening.

My grandparents, Haywood County natives belonging to farming families, started out as many young couples in the early 50’s.

company works every day to diversify our income streams and find different ways to get dollars in the door. I’m OK with that, because we do it in order that we can provide quality journalism.

But another study, again conducted by professors at our flagship university, discovered this about local newspapers: “Since 2004, the U.S. lost nearly 1,800 newspapers, the UNC Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media found in an October report. Half of the 3,143 counties in the U.S. now have just one newspaper, usually a small weekly.

Nearly 200 counties have no newspaper. And ‘between 1,300 and 1,400 communities that had newspapers of their own in 2004 now have no local news coverage at all.’”

Think about that: no local news coverage except what you might find on the internet. No verifiable record of what the county commissioners or the town board did, except maybe what they might put on their own websites. That’s a recipe for poor government and out-of-control leaders.

The founders knew that even with our esteemed Constitution, we needed a free press in order to function, as pointed out in the Time article: “Accuracy, fairness, professionalism — the pillars of journalism took root in the U.S. and Britain, spread around the world, and remain the standard. In the U.S., the press retains qualities of a citadel, protected not only by laws and court decisions, but the awareness of the great majority of public officials who serve something larger than themselves.”

The dictum — serving something “larger than themselves” — is embraced by great leaders at the national and local level. And believe it or not, that’s also what inspires journalists to roll up their sleeves, break out their notebooks, recorders and laptop and get to work every day delivering a sometimes mundane but fundamentally important information. I for one am proud to have spent my career as a part of this institution.

Wishing the best to all our readers in 2019.

(Scott McLeod can be reached at info@smokymountainnews.com)

They did not have the money for appliances in their home. They saved and bought appliances one at a time, starting with a refrigerator.

Once settled, they decided to start a family of their own. Unfortunately, their efforts were not as joyous as many. Pregnancy complications caused them to lose not one, but two babies. The first baby was born stillborn.

Once they decided to finally try again, their second baby died about an hour after delivery. I can’t imagine the devastation, hurt, and frustration they must have felt. Burying one child would be absolutely devastating, but having to bury your second one would be earth shattering. As a young couple, paying for one funeral — let alone two — would be unimaginable. Luckily, years later they decided to try again, and my mother was born.

They were finally blessed with the joy that they longed for.

Both of my grandparents worked long hours to make ends meet. My grandfather, like many, retired from Dayco. He also did side work when available. My grandmother retired from Haywood County in 1996. They worked hard to provide a great life for my

mother, and eventually myself and my brother. However, they were so busy providing that they never bought headstones for the babies.

Buying the headstones was the one thing they mentioned for so long. As time went on, my grandfather became ill, suffering from diabetes. He eventually lost his eyesight and suffered from diabetic neuropathy and epilepsy.

My grandmother cared for him until his death in 2009.

My grandmother has always been an inspiration to me. I was extremely close to both grandparents, and spent time taking care of both of them until their deaths.

Unfortunately, I suffered from the same pregnancy complications as my grandmother.

Thankfully, due to the advancements in medicine, I was able to be monitored and had a successful delivery. My son was rushed to NICU, but is now a very happy and healthy five-year-old. I can remember my grandmother being terrified that I would loose my baby, as she had lost hers. After Brennen was born, she wanted to buy headstones for both of her babies. She finally met with someone; however, she passed away unexpectedly in 2015. It is my plan to eventually get

headstones for the babies.

The pictures I have seen of the tours appears that people walk freely in the graveyard. I am concerned that we have random people walking freely over top of the babies.

I understand that it might not be known that the babies are there. However, I’m sure that more children or people may be buried

there that don’t have headstones either. I feel as though it is extremely disrespectful to offer tours and have people walking freely and not on paths, just to make a few dollars.

Is nothing considered sacred any longer? How do we fix this?

Meagan Mintz

Chris Cox

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Smoky Mountain News

she and her mother recently remodeled.

One minute she is editing her list, the next she is upstairs painting pictures as personalized gifts for the girls in her friend group. These have to match the personality of each girl and will ultimately be paired with lotions she got for them at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. The lotions also have to match their personalities. She’s like a chemist in the lab, figuring all of this out.

In the meantime, our son is working on the second draft of his letter to Santa, feeling as he does that his first draft did not quite fully develop two important themes: 1) his progress in his science class at school, with his clear understanding (and intense desire) for the need for similar progress in math; and 2) this year’s list, ambitious as it may seem, is not as daunting as similar lists from years past, when he admits he MAY have gone a little overboard. Relatively speaking, this year’s list is reasonable, even modest.

Even though he is not yet 14, he is also taller than his mother. He has spent the past year or two battling one of life’s most baffling and infuriating periods — the crucible of puberty. Every day is an unpredictable adventure, with soaring highs and staggering lows. Some days, conversation pours out like water from a bucket, in mighty splashes of words we can barely comprehend. Other days, it dries up altogether, nothing but dust. I pick him up from band practice, he slouches down in the passenger seat, head turned the other way, earbuds in place. In the eight miles back to our house, I might get six syllables out of him, each one like lifting a heavy stone.

For now, Christmas has lifted his teenage angst like the sun burning off the morning fog. He and his sister are getting along, jovial with each other and with us.

They chatter amiably in the kitchen, boiling water for tea and hot chocolate. In a couple more days, they’ll see the cousins and compare notes on their Christmas bounty, just as they have their entire lives.

Tammy and I get caught up in it, too.

We have our own memories of Christmas.

Memories from childhood, memories of our earliest Christmases together as a family, memories we continue to make every year.

Here is wishing all of you a Merry Christmas. I hope you will take some time to count your blessings, to enjoy your memories and traditions, and to find the peace, hope, and joy of the season.

(Chris Cox is a writer and teacher. jchriscox@live.com)

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

hey grow up so fast. Of all the clichés in the parenting handbook, this is the oldest and the truest. Among the things I love most about Christmas is that for a few joyous weeks, the inexorable march of time is held in abeyance by an even greater force: the hope, the peace, and the excitement of Christmas.

Our children are teenagers now, the oldest about to celebrate Christmas with us for the last time before she graduates and starts college in the fall of next year.

Next Christmas is likely to feel differColumnist ent, be different, with her home for break. But that is not something we have to deal with today.

Today we are a family intact, stepping out of our routines, deadlines, and responsibilities to celebrate the season. We step through a portal and into the timelessness of our traditions, which includes the annual decorating of the tree. Nearly every ornament on the Christmas tree represents a specific memory, a particular time in the life in the family. Ornaments made in preschool class, hand-crafted, some a little rough around the edges. Ornaments from years and years of vacations. Ornaments celebrating the kids’ participation in dance recitals, chorus groups, baseball. Even an ornament for Frody, our beloved, if increasingly cantankerous, miniature dachshund.

We savor each one as it is pulled from the box and unwrapped, laughing and remembering, finding just the right place on the tree for it. The tree glows as much with these assembled memories as it does from the multi-colored lights.

Another tradition, one that is especially dear to our daughter: the more or less constant playing of Ella Fitzgerald’s classic Christmas album, “Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas.” Over the years, I have occasionally slipped in some other Christmas music into the mix, but it is never long before Kayden will say, “Dad, this is nice, but it is NOT Ella. Please put on Ella.”

Our daughter, nearly grown and now taller than her mother, fusses over her Christmas list, feverishly adding or omitting items on a day-to-day basis, rushing in to tell her mother how amazing these fairy lights would look in her bedroom, which

opinion

Basking in the comfort of holiday traditions

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tasteTHE mountains

Sunday: 12pm-6pm Tue-Thurs 3pm-8pm Fri-Sat: 12pm-9pm Monday: Closed AT BEARWATERS BREWING

101 PARK ST. CANTON 828.492.1422

PIGEONRIVERGRILLE.COM

Wine • Port • Champagne Cigars • Gifts

828-452-6000

20 Church Street Waynesville, NC

classicwineseller.com MONDAY - SATURDAY

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

10:00AM - 6:00PM

828-246-6996 429 Hazelwood Ave Waynesville, NC

Smoky Mountain News

Monday, Tuesday Wednesday Thursday, Friday Saturday, Sunday

7:30am-8:00pm Closed 7:30am-8:00pm 8:00am-8:00pm

Taste the Mountains is an ever-evolving paid section of places to dine in Western North Carolina. If you would like to be included in the listing please contact our advertising department at 828.452.4251 BLUE ROOSTER SOUTHERN GRILL 207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde, Lakeside Plaza at the old Wal-Mart. 828.456.1997. Open Monday through Friday. Friendly and fun family atmosphere. Local, handmade Southern cuisine. Fresh-cut salads; slow-simmered soups; flame grilled burgers and steaks, and homemade signature desserts.

Blue-plates and local fresh vegetables daily.

Brown bagging is permitted. Private parties, catering, and take-out available.

BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE 454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, 828.452.9191. Lunch daily 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; dinner nightly at 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Wine Down Wednesday’s: ½ off wine by the bottle. We specialize in handcut, all natural steaks from local farms, incredible burgers, and other classic american comfort foods that are made using only the finest local and sustainable ingredients available.

BOOJUM BREWING COMPANY 50 N Main Street, Waynesville.

CHEF’S TABLE 30 Church St., Waynesville. 828.452.6210.

From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday dinner starting at 5 p.m. “Best of” Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator Magazine. Set in a distinguished atmosphere with an exceptional menu. Extensive selection of wine and beer. Reservations honored.

CHURCH STREET DEPOT 34 Church Street, downtown Waynesville.

828.246.6505. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Mouthwatering all beef burgers and dogs, hand-dipped, hand-spun real ice cream shakes and floats, fresh hand-cut fries.

Locally sourced beef. Indoor and outdoor dining. facebook.com/ChurchStreetDepot, twitter.com/ChurchStDepot.

CITY LIGHTS CAFE Spring Street in downtown Sylva.

828.587.2233. Open Monday-Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tasty, healthy and quick. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, espresso, beer and wine. Come taste the savory and sweet crepes, grilled paninis, fresh, organic salads, soups and more.

Outside patio seating. Free Wi-Fi, pet-friendly.

Live music and lots of events. Check the web calendar at citylightscafe.com.

WEDNESDAY 5-9 P.M.

THURSDAY 5-9 P.M.

SUNDAY 11 A.M-3 P.M.

Rib buffet, fried chicken, vegetables, and a twenty-three item salad bar!

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COUNTRY VITTLES: FAMILY STYLE RESTAURANT 3589 Soco Rd, Maggie Valley.

828.926.1820 Winter hours: Wednesday through Sunday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Family Style at Country Vittles is not a buffet.

Instead our waitresses will bring your food piping hot from the kitchen right to your table and as many refills as you want. So if you have a big appetite, but sure to ask your waitress about our family style service.

FERRARA PIZZA & PASTA 243 Paragon Parkway, Clyde.

828.476.5058. Open Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday 12 to 8 p.m. Real New Yorkers. Real Italians. Real Pizza. A full service authentic Italian pizzeria and restaurant from New York to the Blue Ridge. Dine in, take out, and delivery. Check out our daily lunch specials plus customer appreciation nights on Monday and Tuesday 5 to 9 p.m. with large cheese pizzas for $9.95.

FIREFLY TAPS & GRILL 128 N. Main St., Waynesville 828.454.5400. Simple, delicious food. A must experience in WNC. Located in downtown Waynesville with an atmosphere that will warm your heart and your belly! Local and regional beers on tap. Full bar, vegetarian options, kids menu, and more. Reservations accepted. Daily specials. Live music every Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m. Open Mon.-Sat. 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

FROGS LEAP PUBLIC HOUSE 44 Church St., Downtown Waynesville 828.456.1930 Serving dinner 5 to 9 p.m.

Whatever the Occasion, Let Us Do the Cooking!

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828.246.0350. Taproom Open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday & Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Gem Bar Open Tuesday through Sunday 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. Choose from 16 taps of our fresh, delicious & ever rotating Boojum Beer plus cider, wine & craft cocktails.

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LIVE MUSIC EVERY SATURDAY FROM 7-10 P.M.

Sun.–Thurs. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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PRIME R IB FRIDAY 5-9PM!

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1941 Champion Dr. • Canton 828−646−3750 895 Russ Ave. • Waynesville 828−452−5822

tasteTHE mountains Tuesday through Thursday. 5 to 9:30 p.m.

Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Frogs Leap is a farm to table restaurant focused on local, sustainable, natural and organic products prepared in modern regional dishes. Seasonal menu focuses on Southern comfort foods with upscale flavors. Reservations accepted. www.frogsleappublichouse.com.

HAZELWOOD FARMACIE & SODA FOUNTAIN 429 Hazelwood Avenue, Waynesville.

828.246.6996. Open six days a week, closed Wednesday. 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday; 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Breakfast until noon, old-fashioned luncheonette and diner comfort food. Historic full service soda fountain.

JOEY’S PANCAKE HOUSE 4309 Soco Rd Maggie Valley.

828.926.0212. Open seven days a week! 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. Joey’s is a family-friendly restaurant that has been serving breakfast to locals and visitors of Western North Carolina for decades. Featuring a large variety of tempting pancakes, golden waffles, country style cured ham and seasonal specials spiked with flavor, Joey’s is sure to please all appetites. Join us for what has become a tradition in these parts, breakfast at Joey’s.

MAD BATTER FOOD & FILM 617 W. Main Street Downtown Sylva.

828.586.3555. Open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. with Sunday Brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Hand-tossed pizza, house-ground burgers, steak sandwiches & fresh salmon all from scratch. Casual family friendly atmosphere.

Craft beer and interesting wine. Free movies Thursday through Saturday. Visit madbatterfoodfilm.com for this week’s shows & events.

RENDEZVOUS RESTAURANT AND BAR Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center 70 Soco Road, Maggie Valley 828.926.0201 Home of the Maggie Valley Pizzeria. We deliver after 4 p.m. daily to all of Maggie Valley, J-Creek area, and Lake Junaluska.

Monday through Wednesday: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. country buffet and salad bar from 5 to 9 p.m. $11.95 with Steve Whiddon on piano.

Friday and Saturday: 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday 11:30 to 8 p.m. 11:30 to 3 p.m. family style, fried chicken, ham, fried fish, salad bar, along with all the fixings, $11.95.

Check out our events and menu at rendezvousmaggievalley.com SAGEBRUSH STEAKHOUSE 1941 Champion Drive, Canton 828.646.3750 895 Russ Ave., Waynesville 828.452.5822. Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Carry out available.

Sagebrush features hand carved steaks, chicken and award winning BBQ ribs. We have fresh salads, seasonal vegetables and scrumptious deserts. Extensive selection of local craft beers and a full bar. Catering special events is one of our specialties.

WAYNESVILLE PIZZA COMPANY 32 Felmet Street, Waynesville.

828.246.0927. Open Monday through Friday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 10 p.m.; Sunday noon to 9 p.m.; closed Tuesdays. Opened in May 2016, The Waynesville Pizza Company has earned a reputation for having the best hand-tossed pizza in the area. Featuring a custom bar with more than 20 beers and a rustic, family friendly dining room. Menu includes salads, burgers, wraps, hot and cold sandwiches, gourmet pizza, homemade desserts, and a loaded salad bar. The Cuban sandwich is considered by most to be the best in town.

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Smoky Mountain News

APPÉTIT Y’AL N L BO

It’s cold outside, but the pancakes are hot!

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

KANINI’S 1196 N. Main St., Waynesville.

828.452.5187. Lunch Monday-Saturday from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., eat in or carry out. Closed Sunday. A made-from-scratch kitchen using fresh ingredients and supporting the local food and local farm-to-table program. Offering a variety of meals to go from frozen meals to be stored and cooked later to “Dinners to Go” that are made fresh and ready to enjoyed that day. We also specialize in catering any event from from corporate lunches to weddings. Menus created to fit your special event. kaninis.com

PIGEON RIVER GRILLE 101 Park St., Canton.

828.492.1422. Open Tuesday through Thursday 3 to 8 p.m.; Friday-Saturday noon to 9 p.m.; Sunday noon to 6 p.m.

Southern-inspired restaurant serving simply prepared, fresh food sourced from top purveyors. Located riverside at Bearwaters Brewing, enjoy daily specials, sandwiches, wings, fish and chips, flatbreads, soups, salads, and more. Be sure to save room for a slice of the delicious house made cake.

Relaxing inside/outside dining and spacious gathering areas for large groups.

MAGGIE VALLEY RESTAURANT

207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde

828-456-1997 blueroostersoutherngrill.com Monday-Friday Open at 11am

Real Local Families, Real Local Farms, Real Local Food 23

24

A&E

Smoky Mountain News

give good performances. It’s a sports analogy — just keep getting better.

Caleb Smith (guitar): “Entertainer of the Year” the first time around was a shock to me, then to have it happen a second time, and with no new music out was mind blowing. It’s a very humbling feeling to know that your peers have voted and chosen you. It tells me that people still like what we do and that’s a great feeling.

To me, we’ve had fun, worked hard, tried to make good original music, and hope folks like it. That’s ultimately the new chapter that we strive for — to keep finding and creating good original new music to share with whoever will listen and hope they enjoy it.

Buddy Melton, (from left) Caleb Smith, Darren Nicholson, Tim Surrett and Marc Pruett at the 2018 IBMA award show in Raleigh this past September.

Let my life be a light After banner year, Balsam Range release ‘Aeonic’

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER ollowing a second “Entertainer of the Year” award from the International Bluegrass Music Association this past September in Raleigh, the members of Balsam Range went immediately back into the recording booth.

Hunkered down in the Crossroads Studios in Arden, the quintet burned the midnight oil far into the foliage season, which has resulted in the band’s eighth album, “Aeonic” (out Jan. 4 on Mountain Home Music Company). The record is a testament to the hard work and determination Balsam Range not only possesses, but radiates to inspire those around them, onstage or off.

For a group that’s seemingly received every IBMA honor possible (13 total) since its formation in 2007 — including another “Male Vocalist of the Year” (Buddy Melton) and first-time “Bass Player of the Year” (Tim Surrett) in 2018 — the Haywood County act has all but secured its legacy as one of the finest bluegrass ensembles of the modern era.

F

But, the work is never done. Not for Balsam Range, at least.

Letting “Aeonic” unfold, the album seemingly stretches out more than past releases, where there’s delicate space within the melodies for reflection and contemplation — something hitting a little close to home for Balsam Range, who now look to the horizon for the next step of creative inspiration as it enters another year atop the mountain of that “high, lonesome sound.”

Smoky Mountain News: In essence, “Aeonic” means “to last a long time.” What’s your interpretation of that word when applied to Balsam Range, and also the significance of that specific term being chosen as the title?

Buddy Melton (fiddle): “Aeonic” is a symbolic album for Balsam Range. The same five original guys over a decade of creating music and traveling the bluegrass trace together.

That’s not typical in the music business, and I’m very proud of that. The artwork for the cover fits that overall theme as well. The gears represent continued movement together, when one gear moves they all move in a well running machine. “Aeonic” also represents the continuation and enduring of our musical form as well.

Tim Surrett (bass/dobro): I think that it’s just the fact that we have been together a long time already, and we hope and think that there

is a lot more to come. Also, we want to make music that will hopefully stand up to the test of time after we’re gone.

SMN: Following your second IBMA “Entertainer of the Year” award, where is the band right now? Is there a chapter that has closed with that award, perhaps securing the legacy of the band? And, if so, what chapter is now opening up?

TS: I hope that our legacy is set now, but I don’t see anything as closing. We just try to keep it simple and just make good music and

SMN: Usually, when you reach the top of the mountain of your dreams, you tend to see other mountains in the distance worth climbing. As you currently stand atop bluegrass, what else are seeing from that vantage point?

Darren Nicholson (mandolin): It’s a lot of pressure to do our best to represent ourselves, bluegrass and Western North Carolina the best we can. We’re sort of flame keepers of mountain culture, and we want to share that — making the best music we can and making people happy through music.

BM: It’s about continuing, looking forward and setting new goals. There’s always a desire to go to new places, try new things and meet new people — all while maintaining the many wonderful connections we’ve made along the path.

SMN: Bluegrass has always been a moving target when it comes to “what is” and “is not” that “high, lonesome sound.” But, it seems the changes are rapid in recent years, with big name groups, including yourselves, looking more to “serve the song,” rather than just make sure something fits in a traditional formula. Do you see that change? And what does that mean for the next phase of this music we hold so dear?

TS: For us, we just play the songs the way that we can play. We love the traditional hardcore bluegrass, but we don’t feel compelled to play only that. I love all kinds of what is called “bluegrass” these days. The newer music is a conduit to the original music. That’s why I think the original stuff will always be relevant.

BM: Change is inevitable in anything. The first generation of bluegrass players were creating something new at that time. There will always be those who desire to pay homage to the traditions and those who strive to create new variations — it all has a place and an eager listener awaiting.

This must be the place

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

e

h y e e

o e e d l

e r s e

f

t -

‘Just as long as the guitar plays, let it steal your heart away’

e

a d e e

There will be a New Year’s Eve celebration with The Colby Deitz Band (Americana/rock) and Andrew Scotchie & The River Rats (blues/rock) at 9 p.m. Monday, Dec. 31, at Mad Batter Food & Film in downtown Sylva.

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Smoky Mountain News

This year has been quite the whirlwind. It felt like 2018 was The 5th annual “Franklin Ruby Drop” will be sa rollercoaster I either didn’t from 8:30 p.m. to midnight Monday, Dec. 31, at buy a ticket to ride or was simg Town Square in downtown Franklin. sply unaware of just how steep Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host Bird in ”the ups and downs were. And I Hand (Americana/folk) 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 28. eswear, I ain’t the only one in sthat boat of sentiments and nemotions.

The “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing g Coming into 2018, I found Experience” New Year’s Eve celebration will be gmyself kissing my (now ex-) held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 31, at the girlfriend in a room full of old g Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. eand new friends in the frozen tdepths of our native Upstate Balsam Mountain Inn (Balsam) will host a New gNew York. We all watched the Year’s Eve celebration with The High Lonesome -glowing ball drop in Times Dreamers 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 31. tSquare on television. The room reactions. I started to distance myself from serupted in cheers and hugs. Cups of chamfriends and family like a wounded dog hidtpagne and shots of bourbon passed around. ing out under the porch or disappearing into eSnowflakes and a frigid wind whipping the backwoods. against the windows, those inside warm and Days blurred into weeks blurred into tcozy. months and, before I knew it, the calendar y Now? Just about exactly a year later?

-She’s somewhere, anywhere in this vast land- on the wall stated it was late July. Where did all that time go? Had I really been in a fog oscape we call America. Lord if I know. She’s for several months? Feeling the tension ddearly missed and still greatly loved, always reaching a crucial point, I decided to pull the awill be on my end of things. And here I sit, plug on Western North Carolina and hit the Iwriting to you and yours, trying to make road. I needed to reconnect with those who sense of that starting point last Jan. 1 and know me the best and love me the most. ethe steps and actions that have led to the So, I took off to visit my family while they -here and now. What a difference a year were on their annual vacation up along the lmakes, eh? coast of Maine. Lobster dinners, white sand o Everything seemed to fall apart in my beaches, hearty laughter in solidarity with epersonal life right after my birthday in faces familiar. I wandered around the places rFebruary. From there, it was a tailspin — in my thoughts, actions and, most importantly, and spaces of my youth in “Vacationland.”

LIVE MUSIC

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

HOT PICKS 1 2 3 4 5

CASUAL FINE DINING WITH

arts & entertainment

y

Sitting on a wharf with a cold beer one evening, I gazed out over the mysterious depths of the Atlantic Ocean, hoping to reel my old, jovial self in before my sanity set sail for destinations unknown.

I was at rock bottom, at least emotionally. But, the funny thing is, just when you feel the most empty, sad and lost, clarity takes its cue and enters the scene. The heartache and lack of self becomes less and less each day, where you slowly emerge back into who you are and what you’re supposed to be doing.

Returning from Maine in early August, I turned around and hopped on a plane to Denver to meet my parents in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It was my mother’s 70th birthday present, with Jackson being her favorite place in the whole wide world. It’s also mine, too. And I hadn’t been back there since 2009, a place I lived and thrived as a rookie journalist in 2008.

There’s something so cosmic and staggering when you see the Grand Teton mountains in person. These majestic, ancient peaks looming over you, just like the unimaginable emptiness of the surrounding Wyoming high desert prairie.

Both of those landscapes put you in your place, where you genuinely realize just how you’re one dot amongst billions of other scattered dots on the planet, all zigging and zagging in some sort of haphazard, yet organized path to whatever destiny has in store for them (you, me and us). It isn’t to say all is for nothing, more so to show you how connected anything and everything is — it’s all one thing, one giant circle of motion and time.

By the time fall appeared, I did the opposite of hibernate — I finally shed the layer of heavy, daunting skin I’d been walking around with for the better part of this year.

Soon after, the stars aligned and I found myself at the crossroads of the biggest chapter of my writing career thus far.

So, here we are. Late December.

Everybody has either skipped town to visit family for Christmas or they’re well on their way while late Friday morning transitions into early afternoon. I still haven’t decided if I’m going to buy a last-minute plane ticket back to New York on Christmas Eve. Who knows? That’s the beauty of it all — this thing called life — where you take the blank canvas of today, tomorrow and the day after that, and paint it however you damn well please.

Amid this whirlwind (now a slight breeze) in my corner of the world, I remain optimistic about the future. I see all the good that’s out there, of which most isn’t reported on by mass media or noticed on a national scale. But, it’s there. I bear witness to it every day, as you probably do, too.

And remember, we have way more in common than we think — or are told — as a society. Happy holidays to you and yours.

Onward to 2019, a year whose universal energy numerologist Felicia Bender says “invites us into the sandbox, onto the stage, and into the spotlight, and reminds us to play, to laugh, to find lightness in the shadows and to shine our light into the dark crevices in order to bring creative solutions to the global table.”

Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.

Log on. Plan a trip.

And start kicking back.

25

Smoky Mountain News

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

arts & entertainment

On the beat

26

Registration open for Junior Appalachian Musicians The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) has opened registration for the Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) program for winter/spring term.

Classes will take place from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on Tuesday afternoons from January to May at the Shining Rock Classical Academy in Waynesville.

Now in its 18th year in Haywood County, JAM is offered to students in fourth to sixth grade who want to learn Appalachian music from talented local musicians.

About the program, Leigh Forrester, executive director of the Haywood County Arts Council, says, “Not only does JAM expose students to the music of our region, and show them how to learn together, but we have former students that have decided to make this kind of music their life’s work — earning scholarships to local workshops and colleges. It’s exciting to see what music education can do for students at a young age.”

JAM students will learn banjo, fiddle, or guitar in the traditional way mountain music has been taught for generations.

Students in Haywood County are eligible for the Junior Appalachian Musicians program. Students in adjoining counties may participate if space is available. Lessons are $85 per student. Each addition child/sibling is $50.

Please contact the Haywood County Arts Council with enrollment questions by calling 828.452.0593 or email bmk.morgan@yahoo.com. For more information about JAM, as well as other sponsored programs or events, visit the Haywood County Arts Council website at www.haywoodarts.org.

The JAM Program is supported by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Americana at Balsam Falls

WCU ‘Dulcimer U’ returns to Lake J

Jackson County Americana/folk act Bird in Hand will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 28, at Balsam Falls Brewing in Sylva.

The road less traveled has always been the way for husband and wife duo Bird in Hand. Bryan and Megan Thurman call the Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina home and the region is directly reflected in their music. Bird in Hand is upbeat and new while still rooted in the traditions of American folk.

The two have played all over the Appalachian region, as well as across the country, and share an onstage chemistry that demands attention. They need to be seen live to understand the meaning of “Appalachian Thunder Bird in Hand.

Folk.”

You can find their debut EP, “Due North,” online at www.birdinhandmusic.com.

The show is free and open to the public. www.balsamfallsbrewing.com.

Kicking off the New Year with the sounds of beautiful music, Western Carolina University’s “Dulcimer U” winter weekend will be held Jan. 3-6 at the Lambuth Inn at Lake Junaluska.

All classes, concerts, jam sessions, vendor area, and meals will be held inside the hotel.

Winter Weekend participants can choose from over 50 hours of instruction on the mountain dulcimer, hammered dulcimer, ukulele, and guitar.

“Mix and match any classes you wish to

attend. There will be something offered each hour for all skill levels,” said Bobby Hensley, WCU’s associate director of continuing education.

Evening activities will include staff performances and a music sharing session for participants.

Featured instructors include: Larry Conger (Dulcimer U Director), Elaine Conger, Judy House, Laurie Alsobrook, Joe Collins, Stephen Humphries, Jim Miller, Guy George and Sherrie George. Miller will also be leading jam sessions throughout the weekend.

The registration fee is $199. For more information, visit dulcimeru.wcu.edu or call 828.227.7397.

www.smokymountainnews.com

On the beat

• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host Bird in Hand (Americana/folk) 8 p.m. Dec. 28.

All shows are free and open to the public. www.balsamfallsbrewing.com.

• Balsam Mountain Inn (Balsam) will host a New Year’s Eve celebration with The High Lonesome Dreamers 8 p.m. Dec. 31. Dinner at 6:30 p.m. followed by the show and a midnight toast. Tickets are $30 per person. www.balsammountaininn.net.

• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host an acoustic jam with Main St. NoTones from 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 27 and Jan. 3. Free and open to the public. www.blueridgebeerhub.com.

• Boojum Brewing Company (Waynesville) will host a bluegrass open mic every Wednesday, an all-genres open mic every Thursday and The Colby Deitz Band (Americana/rock) 10 p.m. Dec. 28. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.boojumbrewing.com.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host ‘Round the Fire (jam/rock) Dec. 28, Back South Band Dec. 29 and Seth Brand Jan. 5.

All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Harmon’s Den Bistro at HART (Waynesville) will host karaoke and an open mic at 8 p.m. on Saturdays. All are welcome. www.harttheatre.org.

• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host Fuzzy Peppers Jan. 5, Tim McWilliams Jan. 11 and PMA (reggae/rock) w/Center of Motion Jan. 12. All events are free and begin at 7 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com.

ALSO:

• Mad Anthony’s Taproom & Restaurant (Waynesville) will host 28 Pages Dec. 29. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host an open mic night every Thursday and Twelfth Fret (Americana/folk) Dec. 29. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. www.mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

• Pub 319 (Waynesville) will host an open mic night from 8 to 11 p.m. every Wednesday. Free and open to the public. www.pub319socialhouse.com.

• Salty Dog’s (Maggie Valley) will have Karaoke with Jason Wyatt at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays, Mile High (classic rock) 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays, and a Trivia w/Kelsey Jo 8 p.m. Thursdays.

• Satulah Mountain Brewing (Highlands) will host “Hoppy Hour” and an open mic at 6 p.m. on Thursdays and live music on Friday evenings. 828.482.9794 or www.satulahmountainbrewing.com.

• The Strand at 38 Main (Waynesville) will host an “Open Mic” night from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturdays. 828.283.0079 or www.38main.com.

• The Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host an “Open Mic Night” on Mondays, karaoke on Thursdays, DJ Kountry Dec. 28, EDM w/DJ Bent It Dec. 29 and New Year’s Eve w/Mike Farrington & Friends Dec. 31.

All events at 10 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.456.4750.

@SmokyMtnNews

Colby Deitz.

Sylva New Year’s Eve with Deitz, Scotchie There will be a New Year’s Eve celebration with The Colby Deitz Band (Americana/rock) and Andrew Scotchie & The River Rats (blues/rock) at 9 p.m. Monday, Dec. 31, at Mad Batter Food & Film in downtown Sylva.

Admission is $10 per person. To learn more, click on www.colbydeitzband.com or www.andrewscotchiemusic.com.

The Colby Deitz Band will also be performing at 10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 28, at Boojum Brewing in Waynesville, and 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 29, at Lazy Hiker Brewing in Franklin.

FACES

OF

HAYWOOD

I

joined the Chamber of Commerce when Mary and I moved back to Haywood County in 2003. I joined to take advantage of the opportunities to network and meet people I would otherwise not get to know.

Then, I also learned that I could contribute to this great County by serving on Chamber committees and as an Ambassador.

Working with the Haywood Chamber of Commerce has been very rewarding for 15 years!

Steve McNeil Northwestern Mutual

Smoky Mountain News

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night Dec. 26 and Jan. 2, and a jazz night with the Kittle/Collings Duo Dec. 27 and Jan. 3. All events are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host an open mic night at 6:30 p.m. every Thursday, Rachel Stewart (singersongwriter) Dec. 28, Colby Deitz Band (Americana/rock) Dec. 29 and New Year’s Eve w/Beggar’s Clan 9 p.m. Dec. 31. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For more information and a complete schedule of events, click on www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host Tina & Her Pony (Americana) Dec. 28 and Joe Cruz (piano/vocals) Dec. 29. All shows are free and begin at 7:15 p.m.

828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

• Isis Music Hall (West Asheville) will host Christie Lenee (singer-songwriter) 7 p.m.

Dec. 27, EJ Jones & Frances Cunningham (Americana/Celtic) 7 p.m. Dec. 28, Dangermuffin w/Fireside Collective (Americana/jam) 9 p.m. Dec. 28, Jangling Sparrows Duo (Americana/folk) 7 p.m. Dec. 29, De la Noche (world/tango) 8:30 p.m.

Dec. 29, New Year’s Eve w/Yarn, Josh Shilling & Friends (Americana/alt-country) 9 p.m. Dec. 31, Low Lily (Americana) 7 p.m.

Jan. 5, Dori Freeman (Americana/folk) 8:30 p.m. Jan. 5. For more information about the performances and/or to purchase tickets, click on www.isisasheville.com.

arts & entertainment

• Andrews Brewing Company (Andrews) will host the “Lounge Series” at its Calaboose location with Scott Stambaugh (singersongwriter) Dec. 26, Gabe Myers (Americana) Dec. 27, Somebody’s Child (Americana) Dec. 28 and Wyatt Espalin (singer-songwriter) Dec. 29. All shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.andrewsbrewing.com.

828.456.3021 HaywoodChamber.com 27

On the street arts & entertainment

Ready for the ‘Ruby Drop’?

Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center is currently hosting an exhibit to commemorate World War I and the centennial of the end of hostilities in the “war to end all wars.”

“I Want You! How World War I Transformed Western North Carolina” is on display in the museum’s first floor gallery, located in Hunter Library. It features wartime images and artifacts, as well as examples of propaganda used to build support for the war effort. It highlights local individuals who served, such as Ransom Coward, a Jackson County soldier, and Lula Owl Gloyne, a member of the Eastern Band

of Cherokee Indians who served as an Army nurse and a commissioned officer.

World War I took place from July 1914 until November 1918, with the U.S. involved in the European military action beginning in April 1917.

The exhibit was created by Mountain Heritage Center staff with support from the Library of Congress, WCU’s Special Collections and the “Defining America” theme committee on campus, as well as the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. It will be on display through Friday, April 26.

In January, the exhibit will be supplemented by elements from the “North Carolina in the Great War” exhibit from the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

For more information, call the Mountain Heritage Center at 828.227.7129.

Smoky Mountain News

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

WWI exhibit at Mountain Heritage Center

The 5th annual “Franklin Ruby Drop” will be from 8:30 p.m. to midnight Monday, Dec. 31, at Town Square in downtown Franklin.

Motor Company Grill and Crabtree General Store are hosting the family-friendly New Year’s Eve event. There will be live entertainment, assorted games, and other activities.

Just before midnight, there will be a countdown and lowering of the ruby. The ruby is six feet tall and seven feet in diameter, with over 1,300 LED lights.

For more information, click on www.franklin-chamber.com.

EXPERIENCE THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS 28

The “Polar Express” will depart on select times through Dec. 31 from the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad depot. For more information on departures or to purchase tickets, click on www.gsmr.com.

• The CommUnity Square Dance will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 29, at the Old Rock School in Webster. Caller Jenny Monfore will teach and call all dances to live music by Cullowheezer. No partner or fancy outfit required. For more information: pammanottus@gmail.com.

ALSO:

• The annual “Christmas On the Green” celebration will run through New Year’s Day at The Village Green. The 13-acre park in the heart of Cashiers will feature thousands of twinkling lights. For more information visit www.villagegreencashiersnc.com.

On the table

DELIIVERING YOUR UR WAY WAY ‘Uncorked’ New Year’s Eve The “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” New Year’s Eve celebration will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 31, at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City.

Full service all-adult first class car with private attendant on the Tuckasegee River Excursion (includes stopover in historic Dillsboro). Narrator onboard to discuss each pairing of four wines with a meal that includes an exclusive sampling of local cheeses, fresh garden salad, a surf/turf entree, and chef-inspired dessert.

All passengers also receive souvenir stemless wine glass. Age 21 and over only. For more information and/or to register, call 800.872.4681 or click on www.gsmr.com.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Dec. 29 and Jan. 5 at Papou’s Wine Shop in Sylva. www.papouswineshop.com or 828.631.3075.

• Free cooking demonstrations will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Saturdays at Country Traditions in Dillsboro.

Watch the demonstrations, eat samples and taste house wines for $3 a glass. All recipes posted online. www.countrytraditionsnc.com.

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Smoky Mountain News

Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville will host an array of wine tastings and small plates from Chef Stacy’s gourmet cuisine, available at The Secret Wine Bar within the shop. Dog friendly patio and front garden open, weather permitting.

• Dec. 27/Jan. 3: Five for $5 Wine Tasting from 5 to 9 p.m. Come taste five magnificent wines and dine on Chef Stacy’s gourmet cuisine.

• Dec. 28/Jan. 4: Secret Wine Bar Night from 5 to 9 p.m.. Gourmet food, and a great wine & beer menu.

• Dec. 29/Jan. 5: There will be a free wine tasting from 1 to 5 p.m.

For more information, call 828.452.0120 or click on www.waynesvillewine.com.

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Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

Bosu’s tastings, small plates

arts & entertainment

Experts in

ALSO:

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• A “Beginner Step-By-Step” painting class will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursdays at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. Cost is $25 with all supplies provided. For more information on paint dates and/or to RSVP, contact Robin Arramae at 828.400.9560 or paintnitewaynesville@gmail.com.

• Our Summerhouse Pottery in downtown Waynesville will host after-school art classes for elementary/middle-schoolers. Classes begin Jan. 8-9. Pottery/art classes will be held weekly for six weeks. Elementary (8-10 years olds) will be Tuesdays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.. Middle-schoolers (11-14 years olds) will be Wednesdays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Tuition is $95, which includes all supplies. Class size is limited to eight. For more information and/or to register, contact Amy at amy@oursummerhousepottery.com or call 828.734.5737.

8:30 p.m. or Thursday afternoons (starting Jan. 10) from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Tuition is $225, which includes all supplies. Class size is limited to six. For more information and/or to register, contact Amy at amy@oursummerhousepottery.com or call 828.734.5737.

• Mad Batter Food & Film (Sylva) will host a free movie night at 7:30 p.m. every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. For the full schedule of screenings, click on www.madbatterfoodandfilm.com.

• The Waynesville Fiber Friends will meet from 10 a.m. to noon on the second Saturday of the month at the Panacea Coffee House in Waynesville. All crafters and beginners interested in learning are invited. You can keep up with them through their Facebook group or by calling 828.276.6226 for more information.

ALSO:

• Haywood Community College (Clyde) Continuing Education Creative Arts will host “Introduction to Bladesmithing” March 1819, as well as the “Smoky Mountain Hammer-In” March 21-24. For more information about any of these classes, please visit creativearts.haywood.edu or call 828.565.4240.

• “Thursday Painters Open Studio” from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. at the Franklin Uptown Gallery. Bring a bag lunch, project and supplies. Free to the public. Membership not required. For information, call 828.349.4607.

• Our Summerhouse Pottery in downtown Waynesville will host adult pottery classes on Tuesdays evenings (starting Jan. 8) from 6 to

• A “Youth Art Class” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to noon every Saturday at the Appalachian Art Farm on 22 Morris Street in

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

arts & entertainment

On the wall DEFINING AMERICA The Western Carolina University (Cullowhee) Campus Theme, the “Defining America” exhibit brings together artists with different perspectives on the concept of “America” and asks visitors to reflect on the values, definitions, and assumptions attached to this concept. The exhibition will be on view through May 3 at the Bardo Arts Center. Regular museum hours at the BAC are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursdays until 7 p.m. For information, call 828.227.ARTS or visit bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

Sylva. All ages welcome. $10 includes instruction, materials and snack. appalachianartfarm@gmail.com or find them on Facebook.

• Free classes and open studio times are being offered at The Uptown Gallery in

Franklin. Join others at a painting open studio session from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. every Tuesday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursdays.

For information on days open, hours and additional art classes and workshops, contact the gallery on 30 East Main Street at 828.349.4607.

Y O U R T I C K E T T O A G R E AT N I G H T

AIR SUPPLY JANUARY 19

COLT FORD & THE LACS FEBRUARY 15

Smoky Mountain News

Experience a casual, relaxing atmosphere perfect for all walks of life, from families to golf groups to ladies who lunch. We pride ourselves on using fresh ingredients from our gardens and supporting local farmers. The details are priority.

Open to the Public, 7 Days A Week!

Call 828-926-4848 for reservations.

1819 Country Club Drive Maggie Valley, NC

M AG G I E VA LLEY C LU B . CO M 30

DWIGHT YOAKAM MARCH 9

TRAVIS TRITT, THE MARSHALL TUCKER BAND & THE CADILLAC THREE APRIL 27

@HarrahsCherokee Visit ticketmaster.com or call 1-800-745-3000 to purchase tickets.

Show(s) subject to change or cancellation. Must be 21 years of age or older to enter casino floor and to gamble.

Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700. An Enterprise of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. ©2018, Caesars License Company, LLC.

On the stage

HART is one of only four theaters in North Carolina to have received the award more than once, having received the distinction in 2002.

Theaters and Professional Theaters across the State. The organization sponsors the annual High School Play Festival, offers teacher certification events and annual gatherings bringing together theater professionals.

The audience erupted in cheers as Self read the announcement proclaiming HART the recipient of this year’s honor. For more information about the HART Theatre go to www.harttheatre.org.

• There is free comedy improv class from 7 to 9 p.m. every Tuesday in Maggie Valley. No experience necessary, just come to watch or join in the fun. Improv teacher Wayne Porter studied at Sak Comedy Lab in Orlando, Florida, and performed improvisation with several groups. Join Improv WNC on Facebook or just call 828.316.8761 to RSVP for directions.

Smoky Mountain News

Located in Waynesville, the renowned Haywood Arts Regional Theatre received an early Christmas present when the organization was awarded the prestigious “Community Theatre of the Year Award” for 2018 from the North Carolina Theatre Conference.

The award was presented to Executive Director, Steve Lloyd, before a packed house for the Saturday performance of “A Christmas Carol” on Dec. 15, by NCTC Vice President, Mia Self and former NCTC Board member Janice Schreiber.

HART is one of only four theaters in North Carolina to have received the award more than once, having received the distinction in 2002. The recognition is for excellence and takes into consideration quality of work, and community involvement.

NCTC is the statewide organization representing Middle and High School Theaters, College and University Theaters, Community

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

(From left) Steve Lloyd, Mia Self and Janice Schreiber. John Highmith photo

arts & entertainment

HART receives N.C. Community Theatre Award

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Smoky Mountain News Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

arts & entertainment

Books

Smoky Mountain News

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Graham Greene, redemption, and us He breathed life into his characters, and wrote in a number of genres: short stories, novels,

Jeff Minick

Let’s start the new year with some old books.

We begin with two suppositions.

First, you are a good person who abides by a moral code.

Whatever its source, this code serves as your set of principles, an ethical standard you cannot violate without damaging your soul. The code is your Ten Commandments, Writer your Constitution, the offering on the high altar of all that you hold true and good.

Second, you have for whatever reason broken that code. Your wife caught you in adultery. Your employer apprehended you embezzling funds. You became angry with your father and refused to speak to him even on his deathbed. Whatever the wrong, however innocently you blundered into corruption, by your code you have behaved dishonorably.

Consequently, you feel separated from your loved ones, and if you are a believer, separated from God. If you are a person of faith, you make your peace with your God. All well and good, but how do you then make peace with yourself?

How do you unlock the shackles of your guilt?

And how do you come to terms with those who know what you have done, some of whom now detest you?

You’re breathing, and your heart is beating, but inside you’re as dead as Dickens’ doornail.

Maybe you head to your local bookstore looking for self-help books. Maybe you see a therapist. Maybe you try to make amends for your transgression performing good deeds, volunteering in a soup kitchen or a nursing home. Maybe, like Hester Prynne of The Scarlet Letter, you just hold your head high, keep your mouth shut, and carry on.

Whatever remedy you seek, let me recommend as part of your journey to atonement certain novels by Graham Greene.

Greene had many talents as a writer. He created realistic physical settings for his books, ranging from Central Africa to Mexico.

essays, reviews, an autobiography, and plays.

Greene’s greatest talent, however, lay in his ability to give readers a tour of the human soul in torment, a torment often depicted as love at war with principles.

In his novels Brighton Rock, The Heart of the Matter, A Burnt-Out Case, The Power and the Glory, and The End of the Affair, Greene gives us compelling accounts of human beings caught between the tenets of their code and the desires of their hearts. In The Power and the Glory, for example, the hunted priest in Mexico takes desperate measures to evade his

pursuers, but again and again puts his life on the line, often with foot-dragging reluctance, by hearing confessions and offering Mass, sacraments outlawed by the state. In The End of The Affair, Maurice Bendrix, author, atheist, and adulterer, rues the loss of his married mistress, hires a private detec-

tive to follow her when he suspects she has taken another lover, and ends his account of their affair with a prayer that some of us, even the devout, can understand: “O God, You’ve done enough, You’ve robbed me of enough, I’m too tired and old to learn to love, leave me alone for ever.” At the end of Brighton Rock, the young Rose asks the old priest hearing her confession if her husband, a thug and a criminal now dead, is in hell. The priest wheezes out his answer: “You can’t conceive, my child nor can I or anyone … the appalling … strangeness of the mercy of God,” reminding us with those few words that our earthly judges, family and friends, may rarely display their own appalling strangeness of mercy.

The characters in these novels are men and women branded by guilt and shame, haunted by betrayal and misdirected passions, torn in two by the battle between the

desires of the heart and the demands of their code. They fall away from the path they have walked, sometimes innocently, sometimes deliberately, and suffer the consequences.

Many writers have praised Greene’s dissections of moral ambiguity. In his comments on The End of the Affair, for example, William Faulkner called the book “one of the best, most true and moving novels of my time.”

Referring to the same title, Evelyn Waugh, another great twentieth century novelist, described the story as “singularly moving and beautiful … the relationship of lover to husband with its crazy mutation of pity, hate, comradeship, jealousy, and contempt is superbly described ….”

Right now, those of you trapped in your self-created hell may be thinking: Are you kidding me? Imprisoned as I am by guilt and regret, why would I want to read novels where the characters are struggling with the same dismal remorse and shame as my own?

In your question lies your answer. You and I both know that when we have committed a great wrong, and are found out, few confidants visit the prison we have built for ourselves. Fewer still are capable of understanding the sickness in our hearts.

Here is a consolation: Greene understood.

For those of us with a broken conscience, these books act as mirrors of healing. Greene’s stories and damaged characters will not expiate our guilt — only time or death can do that — but they offer reassurance that others have suffered as we suffer, that others have disgraced themselves and their code, and that we are not alone in our dishonor and our despair.

(Jeff Minick is a writer and teacher. minick0301@gmail.com.)

Writer’s residency to launch in the Smokies A new writer’s residency program aiming to help wordsmiths connect with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is accepting applications through Jan. 15.

The Steve Kemp Writer’s Residency will give one writer the chance to live in the park from March 3 to April 13 focusing on their craft in a retreat-like setting. The writer will follow in the footsteps of — and spend time with — Great Smoky Mountains Association veteran Steve Kemp in an effort to create written works that move visitors to a greater appreciation of and stewardship for the park.

The writer will receive free lodging and a $600 stipend to defray meals and transportation. The residency will include weekly meetings, field trips and mentoring from Frances Figart, interpretive products and services director for GSMA. The writer will be included in various park activities or projects and have the chance to be published in various GSMA publications.

Kemp is a longtime writer who retired in 2017 after 30 years with the GSMA. He has been published in a variety of journals and periodicals and written numerous books.

Apply to Frances Figart at frances@gsmassoc.org with the subject line “Kemp Residency.” Instructions for the application are at www.smokiesinformation.org/writers-residency.

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Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

The year in quotes

McCoy has spent the past 10 years working to build a seed bank preserving the scope and diversity of plant life in Western North Carolina, with seed from about 2,000 plants currently in storage. The hope is that if a species goes extinct or becomes so rare that its genetic diversity is threatened, the seed bank will allow it to be resurrected.

MARCH “I look at that hill of kudzu, and instead of seeing a problem, I see this huge bank full of food and medicine. It’s a felt sense of that. It’s like looking out and seeing a field full of peaches or a field full of corn, or cows. It’s a transformation of consciousness and relationship to the plant.”

— Zev Friedman, permaculture designer and kudzu harvester Kudzu is infamous in the South for its colonization of fields and roadways, the seemingly infinite vines growing up to a foot per day

MAY “They have that notorious reputation of being stubborn, but they’re not really stubborn — they just don’t want to get hurt. It’s self-preservation.

If it doesn’t look safe, a horse will just walk over it, but a mule’s like, ‘Eh, I don’t know about that.’

They are thinkers.”

— Danny Gibson, animal packer for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Gibson has been working with the park’s mule team for more than 10 years, and while mules get a bad rap as stubborn and ornery, Gibson knows the truth — without them, many trail maintenance projects would be just about impossible to complete. A mule can walk for miles hauling 250 pounds, with a team of mules capable of moving even the largest logs. Between 2009 and 2016, horses and mules have carried an estimated 252,850 pounds over 2,615 miles of trail, also pulling 11 footlogs weighing as much as 4,500 pounds apiece and participating in five search and rescues.

JUNE “Every year I had satisfaction in the challenges I went through. The hardships, whatever it was. I always survived and made it.”

— Bill Holbrook, owner of Cold Mountain Farms

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

From the depths of winter to the height of summer, valley agriculture to mountain exploration, longtime mountain dwellers to new arrivals, a year in Western North Carolina’s great outdoors can provide a lifetime of stories. In 2018, The Smoky Mountain News covered everything from conservation to kudzu, encountering plenty of colorful characters along the way. Here’s a selection of the best quotes we heard this year, about the mountains and from those who love them.

JANUARY “More land doesn’t keep appearing. It just keeps disappearing. Its use is really important because

down the road you want your kids and grandkids to be able to walk out and take a hike, go for 4 miles and not see any people or houses or phone lines or anything like that, to wander across a bear or something that’s wild and living.”

— Karen Collis, Maggie Valley resident Had Collis’ family not believed this statement so strongly, the land now called the William H. Silver Game Land would have been passed down to Collis and her children and her children’s children in increasingly fragmented pieces. But Collis’ father Robert Williams sold his 783 acres of pristine land to The Conservation Fund for roughly half its market value, with more landowners following suit. Today, the 1,925-acre property is owned by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and offers opportunity for wildlife, hikers and hunters.

FEBRUARY “A seed bank is a never-ending thing. You never get caught up. There’s always more species.”

— Joe-Ann McCoy, research director at the N.C. Arboretum

in the summertime. But Zev and his fellow kudzu enthusiast Justin Holt believe that kudzu is misunderstood. It’s not as aggressive an invasive as it’s been portrayed, and is actually quite useful, a resource for animal fodder, starch, medicine, basketry, papermaking and more. Holt and Friedman have thrown themselves into spreading the word about kudzu, even hosting a “kudzu camp” in Dillsboro to offer hands-on instruction in harvesting and processing the plant.

Holbrook is a farmer at heart and by trade, having assembled his 175-acre farm from an initial purchase of just 11 acres. It’s storied ground for him, bearing the memory of its original Cherokee inhabitants and of his own ancestors. Holbrook’s commitment to the land and community has earned him numerous awards over the years, most recently a May induction into the Western North Carolina Agricultural Hall of Fame.

JULY

“That’s why the outdoors is such a good metaphor. It’s exactly like setting a line or paddling a rapid. You try to plan your line before you go, but things might happen, and you have to adapt, overcome.”

— Peter Moyle, Gnarcissist Gear co-owner

“Education has always been a calling for me.

And I wanted to do the educational work that I really enjoyed myself. Most of the courses we offer are courses I would want to take. Plus, it allows you to be around people who love nature, who really enjoy learning about the outdoors.”

— Brent Martin, co-owner of Alarka Institute

Moyle and his business partner Nick Provost were fresh college graduates when they started Gnarcissist, which makes polarized sunglasses designed to be affordable enough to replace but durable enough to withstand some abuse. The business’s success is the result of good planning, but also of thinking on their feet — a formula that holds true for mountain exploration as well as for career success.

Martin, a longtime lover of nature and former regional director for The Wilderness Society, had been thinking for years about launching a venture like Alarka with his wife Angela before an unexpected job loss accelerated the timeline. Now in its second year, Alarka Institute offers outdoor adventures from mushroom foraging to canoe-based cultural tours, as well as classes in nature-based art and writing.

APRIL

Road closures to begin in the Nantahala (FSR 4663C), Beech Flats (FSR 4668), Upper Nantahala (FSR 67), Shingletree (FSR 713), Ball Creek (FSR 83), Wayah Bald (FSR 69), Little Yellow Mountain (FSR 367), Cold Spring Gap (FSR 4663), Old Bald Road (FSR 4652), Gage Creek (FSR 4648), Charley Knob (FSR 4654).

Nantahala Ranger District

Tusquitee Ranger District

The following roads will be closed from Jan. 2 to April 1: Boardtree (FSR 388), Deep Gap (FSR 71), Shope Fork (FSR 751), Connelly Creek (FSR 86 through Alarka-Laurel), Winding Stairs (FSR 422), Big Creek (FSR 4567), Moses Creek (FSR 4651), Sugar Creek (FSR 4665), Wolf Mountain

The following roads will be closed Jan. 2 through April 2: Bear Paw (FSR 435), Cherokee Lake (FSR 313), Deep Gap (FSR 71), Nelson Ridge (FSR 351), Perry Gap (FSR 350), Powerline Cove (FSR 6020), Tellico River (FSR 420-5), Beech Creek (FSR 307), Chambers Creek (FSR

McManus finds a peace, a focus and a trust that has followed her through the decades and carries her through each year.

OCTOBER “When you’re restoring habitat, you’re restoring habitat for all. It’s an ecosystem. Everything is an ebb and a flow and a balance.”

— Jill Jacobs, co-owner of Spriggly’s Beescaping

“Even if you stumble and fall and skin your knee, that’s OK with us. In fact, skinned knees should be a part of every childhood I think, and some of these kids don’t get that opportunity often enough, because sometimes they are overprotected.”

— Jay Hardwig, director of SEE Adventure Camp

NOVEMBER “Before we were managing the park for the ‘gift wrapping’ which is the stuff you can easily see — the birds, the trees, the flowers — but not focusing on what was inside of the box, which

SEPTEMBER “I feel like it re-centers me as a person, as a spouse and as a mom. Every year reminds me of who I am, which I feel like in turn makes me better in those roles that I play.”

— Erin McManus, Sylva resident McManus is an employee, a wife and a mother, but for the past 20 years she and her friend Amy Miller have made time for an annual rock-climbing trip. On the rocks,

when you lift the lid, that’s all the little things, and the little things are what keeps the park running smoothly.”

— Susan Sachs, education branch chief for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The following roads will be closed Jan. 2 to April 15: Big Fat (FSR 62), Tatham Gap/Long Creek (FSR 423), Santeelah Creek (FSR 81), Farley Cove (FSR 407), Long Hungry (FSR 1127).

The U.S. Forest Service may implement additional closures due to weather or resource conditions. For updated closure information, contact the ranger station.

An effort to catalogue every species in the park turned 20 this year, with the All Taxa Biodiversity Index having to date logged 19,866 species, of which 9,523 had never before been found in the park and 1,000 had never been found anywhere at all. By and large, the new discoveries are organisms that tend to get overlooked — lichens, beetles and flies, for instance — but in an ecosystem every species has a role.

The more is known about those species and their roles, the better decisions park managers can make in their efforts to preserve the Smokies for future generations.

DECEMBER “Our culture is not linear. It’s more circular, and going back to places like the park, to where we once inhabited and lived and collected, it takes on a different meaning of spirituality. It takes on a different meaning of who we are as Cherokee.”

— Tommy Cabe, forest resource specialist for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Before Europeans arrived in the Southern Appalachians, the Cherokee people lived, hunted and gathered from a territory that covered portions of eight presentday states, including what is now the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Park rules prohibit gathering plants, but a new proposal would allow Cherokee people to start gathering the spring green sochan within park boundaries. If all goes well, the tribe could secure similar agreements for other culturally important species.

YOGA CLASSES!

These classes are designed to have you aching in all the right places and well on your way towards your 2019 fitness goals! We’re also giving away a comfy WYC tee to anyone who attends all five classes!

Saturday January 5th // 2-3:30 Seasonal Vinyasa Flow w/ Candra Smith Saturday January 12th // 2-3:30 Power Flow, Arm Balances and Inversions w/ Michael Edwards Saturday January 19th // 2-3:30 Heated Power Flow w/ Kendall Graham Saturday January 26th // 2-3:30 Buti Yoga Burn w/ Jay MacDonald Saturday February 2nd // 2-3:30 Power Vinyasa Flow, Meditation and Crystal Bowl Bath w/ Katie Schomberg Classes are $20. Space is limited: to save yours, register online at WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com or call 828.246.6570

274 S. MAIN ST. WAYNESVILLE 828.246.6570

Smoky Mountain News

Outdoor adventure has the power to build self-confidence and community, and IFB Solutions believes that blind and visually impaired kids should be afforded that benefit too. Now in its third year, IFB’s SEE Adventure Camp attracts blind teens from across the country for a week of zip-lining, hiking and whitewater rafting. The experience helps them see beyond the limits the world may try to impose on them and to build community with other teens dealing with visual impairment.

Cheoah Ranger District

ROCK ROCK YOUR YOUR RESOLUTIONS RESOLUTIONS WITH OUR MASTER

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

AUGUST

Jacobs and her husband Brannen Basham launched Spriggly’s out of a love for native pollinators and a desire to educate others about how important they are.

Landscaping with native plants of a diversity of color and blooming periods doesn’t just benefit pollinators — it boosts all manner of native species that depend on naturalized landscapes to thrive.

2071), Derreberry Gap (FSR 614B), Panther Gap (FSR 85A), Persimmon Creek (FSR 651), Stateline Loop (FSR 420-6), Tuni Gap (FSR 440).

outdoors

Seasonal road closures will soon begin in the Nantahala National Forest. Certain roads are closed each winter to help protect wildlife habitat, decrease wildlife disturbance, reduce road maintenance costs and protect public safety during long bouts of adverse weather.

We want to help you

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outdoors

Race the slopes A recreational racing program will offer skiers and snowboarders of all abilities the chance to push their speed with weekly competitions on non-holiday Saturdays Jan. 5 through the end of the season at Cataloochee Ski Area.

The program aims to be fun for all ages and abilities through a handicap system that allows racers nationwide to compare themselves to each other, regardless of when and where they race.

Races run 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and are subject to weather and slope conditions.

Cost is $10 for two runs or $20 for unlimited runs, with a lift ticket or season pass required to participate. Register at the tickets center, and pre-register with NASTAR — the racing program that Cataloochee goes through — at www.nastar.com.

Women’s ski/snowboard program offered A six-week ski and snowboard program for women will kick off at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 9, at Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley.

The Women on Wednesdays program is aimed toward women who learn better with female instructors.

Every Wednesday through Feb. 13, the day will begin with a two-hour clinic starting at 10 a.m. and hosted by Cataloochee’s most advanced female instructors. Participants can then practice afterward until 4:30 p.m.

The cost is $200 for lift, lesson and rentals; $150 for lift and lesson only; $100 for lesson only.

Register at cataloochee.com/learn-to-slide/special-programs.

Hike Pinnacle Experience Pinnacle Park with an expert guide during an 8-mile hike beginning at 9 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 6, in Sylva.

Brent Martin, co-owner of Alarka Expeditions, will lead this Carolina Mountain Club hike to a spectacular view of Sylva. The group will ascend 1,900 feet on

the East Fork and Pinnacle Trails from Fisher Creek and then return via the West Fork Trail.

No dogs. RSVP to Martin at 828.524.7400 or alarkaexpeditions@gmail.com. Meeting places available in Asheville and Sylva.

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

MST gathering to be held in Surf City {Celebrating the Southern Appalachians}

Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail will hold its annual meeting in Surf City this year, gathering there March 22 to 24.

The area was hit hard by Hurricanes Florence and Michael but has recovered enough to accommodate the gathering. The weekend will include fun, fellowship and catching up on trail happenings but will offer service as an expanded focus. Members will work with a slew of community partners to help Surf City, Pender County and surrounding areas in their recovery. Planned excursions such as hikes and workshops will continue along with new opportunities to build and rebuild trail in places where it was damaged.

The MST is a 1,175-mile trail that crosses the state, with ends at Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Jockey’s Ridge in the Outer Banks. To register for the gathering, visit www.mountainstoseatrail.org/gathering-of-friends.

Smoky Mountain News

Start 2019 with a hike

Smoky Mountain Living celebrates the mountain region’s culture, music, art, and special places. We tell our stories for those who are lucky enough to live here and those who want to stay in touch with the place they love.

Subscribe or learn more at smliv.com MAGAZINE

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A standing tradition of starting the New Year off with a hike will continue at N.C. State Parks from mountains to coast on Jan. 1, with parks in the western region also participating in the First Day Hikes. n Chimney Rock State Park. A 3.2-mile walk up the park’s entrance road will begin next to the Old Rock Café at 8 a.m. The park superintendent will lead an informative discussion about the park’s history during the walk along a route that is typically restricted to vehicular traffic only.

Participants will gain free entrance to the park that day. Shuttle transportation will be offered back down to Chimney Rock Village. 828.625.1823. n Gorges State Park. A casual hike from the park visitor center to the Bearwallow Overlook and then down to the Upper Bearwallow Falls observation deck will be

held 10 a.m. to noon starting from the visitor center. The 2-mile hike will end with hot chocolate compliments of Friends of Gorges and be led by Rangers Alyssa Coburn and Neal Wilcox. 828.966.9099. n Grandfather Mountain State Park. A 3mile hike on the Lower Profile Trail will offer a moderately strenuous exploration of the high-elevation park, with opportunities offered at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Both hikes will start from the Profile Trail Parking Area.

Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. No pets. 828.963.9522. n Mount Mitchell State Park. A threequarter-mile hike around the Balsam Nature Loop Trail at the top of Mount Mitchell will explore the park’s natural and cultural history. The hike will run from 1 to 2:15 p.m. and meet at the Upper Summit Parking Lot. 828.675.4611.

All First Day hikes are listed at www.ncparks.gov/first-day-hikes.

Chronic wasting disease found in Tennessee firming cases.

Chronic wasting disease is a fatal disease that affects deer, elk, reindeer, sika deer and moose. Symptoms can include drastic

weight loss, stumbling, listlessness and other neurological symptoms. There are no treatments or vaccines available.

The N.C. Wildlife Resource Commission has a Chronic Wasting Disease Response Plan to guide its short-term efforts should the disease be detected in North Carolina or within 30 miles of its borders. Agency biologists conduct statewide deer sampling each year and attempt to sample all deer that show possible symptoms or die of unknown causes.

North Carolina now has a new rule prohibiting the importation of deer carcasses and specific carcass parts from anywhere outside North Carolina. The rule states that anyone transporting carcass parts into the state must follow processing and packaging regulations, which allow only the importation of specific products.

The rule is online at www.ncwildlife.org/news/wildlife-commission-prohibits-importation-of-deer-carcasses.

Wildlife conservationists wanted for award Nominations are wanted for people who have led the way in conserving nongame animals in North Carolina.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is accepting nominations for the Thomas L. Quay Wildlife Diversity Award through Jan. 31. Nominations must include a completed form and detailed essay explaining the nominee’s contributions to nongame wildlife conservation in North Carolina. In addition to this year’s nominees, nominations submitted in 2017 and 2018 will be considered. Nominations submitted prior to that will be considered upon request.

The Nongame Wildlife Advisory Committee will recommend final nominees and wildlife commissioners will announce the winner at their July meeting.

The award is named for the late Thomas Quay, a professor of zoology at N.C. State University and self-described “full-time volunteer and unpaid environmental activist.”

Download the nomination form at bit.ly/2EsTWgc. Submit nominations to Melinda Huebner, melinda.huebner@ncwildlife.org.

The historic Rich Mountain Fire Lookout Tower has been restored, thanks to a collaborative effort from the Carolina Mountain Club, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the Forest Fire Lookout Association and the U.S. Forest Service.

The tower was initially located along the A.T. near Hot Springs until the trail was rerouted in the 1980s. It’s now accessible using a short side trail but had fallen into disrepair due to the stresses of extreme weather at its 3,670-foot elevation.

Robbinsville-based Williams Construction completed the work and CMC built a log staircase leading to the base of the tower, also performing tree work around its perimeter to preserve the scenic view.

The restoration took a combination of funds to pull off. Because it sits on the N.C.Tennessee border, the project received funds from both states’ A.T. license plate programs, $3,500 from N.C. and $5,000 from Tennessee. The Forest Fire Lookout Association contributed $1,000 and the Forest Service provided the bulk of funding, $101,158.

Rich Mountain is one of six remaining fire lookout towers on the Appalachian Trail within North Carolina and Tennessee. The others include Camp Creek Bald, as well as Mt. Cammerer and Shuckstack in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

outdoors

Chronic wasting disease has been preliminarily detected in western Tennessee, increasing the threat to deer and elk in Western North Carolina.

Tennessee initiated its Chronic Wasting Disease Response Plan after white-tailed deer in Hardeman and Fayette counties — which border the Mississippi state line — tested positive for the disease in preliminary results.

Tennessee is the second state bordering North Carolina to detect the disease, with Shenandoah and Frederick counties in Virginia, which border West Virginia, con-

Fire tower restoration complete

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019 Smoky Mountain News 37

outdoors

Quality Trailers, Quality Prices

pricing starting at $499

Trailer Center

financing available, ask for details

HaywoodBuilders.com 828-456-6051 | 100 Charles St. | Waynesville

Learn the business of farming Year of the PIG… According to the Chinese horoscope calendar, 2019 is the “Year of the Pig.” The pig represents “…wealth and generosity”

Smoky Mountain News

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

(Source: https://chinesenewyear2019.org/horoscope/).

38

That’s about as far as I’m going to go with the whole horoscope thing and instead I’ll focus on just the pig and the pork.

North Carolina one of the top states in the U.S. for raising hogs and they represent an important agricultural commodity for farmers and a resource for companies that supply pork products to supermarkets, schools, food service, and restaurants.

Many of these farms are in Eastern NC, near agricultural areas that grow some of the crops used to feed hogs.

(Source: https://www.ncpork.org/truth-hog-farms-eastern-north-carolina/).

Do you know any hog farmers? Have you been to a hog farm? I have! For information on pigs and hog farming in North Carolina see NC Pork https://www.ncpork.org/ and Feed the Dialogue https://feedthedialoguenc.com/

Registration is now open for the 2019 Business of Farming Conference and Farmers Market Summit, to be held Feb. 23 in Asheville.

The conference will focus on the business side of farming, offering beginning and established farmers financial, legal, management and marketing tools to improve their farm businesses and make new professional connections. In addition to social media marketing, the conference will offer more than a dozen workshops led by innovative farmers and regional professionals covering community-sup-

ported agriculture, improving farmers market sales, hosting events on the farm and more.

The popular grower-buyer meeting will offer farmers the chance to meet one-onone with local buyers who might purchase their products. New this year will be a farmers market summit and leadership training.

Registration is $75 before Feb. 1 and $95 afterward, with a discount for farm partners registering together. Organized by the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project. Register online at www.asapconnections.org or call 828.236.1282.

Celebrate Christmas with Trout Unlimited Trout Unlimited Cataloochee has rescheduled its annual Christmas party to 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 9, at Rendezvous Restaurant in Maggie Valley due to adverse weather on the original date of Dec. 11.

The evening will begin with a social hour followed by Christmas dinner at 6:30 p.m. A 50-50 drawing and a raffle for a bamboo fly rod will offer a chance for some Christmas magic, as will a collection of door prizes. Attendees will be responsible for paying for their own meals.

Invasive found in Deep River Hydrilla, a highly invasive nonnative plant, has been found in the Deep River, covering a 90-acre area in Moore, Chatham and Lee counties.

The plant creates dense mats of stems and leaves on the water’s surface, crowding out native vegetation, making boating difficult and potentially harming fish, birds and aquatic organisms. Its impact can be significant both economically and ecologically, as treatment and control are expensive.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is asking people who boat, fish or swim in the river to help prevent the plant’s spread by cleaning all equipment of aquatic plants, animals and mud; draining water from boats, livewells, bait buckets and other equipment; and drying all equipment thoroughly.

The Wildlife Commission will work with the N.C. Aquatic Weed Program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other agencies

and stakeholders to develop a management plan for hydrilla that will prevent its spread and address already infested areas.

Learn more about hydrilla at www.ncwildlife.org/Fishing/ANS.

WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • Cashiers Area Chamber is seeking feedback to improve visitors’ experiences to the area. Take the survey at: tinyurl.com/y6w4uqyo.

• Registration is underway for Marriage Enrichment Retreats that will be offered three more times over the next year at Lake Junaluska. Led by Ned Martin, an expert in marriage counseling. Price is $699 per couple. Dates are March 10-12, Aug. 18-20 of 2019 and Sept. 29-Oct. 1 in 2019. Registration and info: www.lakejunaluska.com/marriage or 800.222.4930.

• Fontana Regional Library now offers anyone with a library card free access to eMagazines, for reading on any mobile device or computer. To get started enjoying digital magazines as well as eBooks and audiobooks, visit e-inc.overdrive.com or download the Libby reading app. www.fontanalib.org.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment will offer a Certified Nonprofit Professional program starting Jan. 4 at WCU Biltmore Park in Asheville. Full schedule and registration info: pdp.wcu.edu. Info: jcthompson@wcu.edu.

• Registration is underway for an educational event featuring biologist James Costa, Ph.D., from 3-6 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 12, at Alarka Institute in Cowee.

Discussion on Alfred Wallace, Charles Darwin and the evolution of understanding evolution. $25 fee includes wine, tea and cheese reception. www.alarkaexpeditions.com.

• Registration is underway for an online beginning German Language course, which will be offered through Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and enrichment from Jan. 14-March 8. Cost: $79. For info and to register: learn.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

• Registration is underway for a “Powerful Presentation Skills for Women Workshop” that will be offered from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 18, at Western Carolina University Biltmore Park in Asheville. Led by Dr. Betty Farmer, professor of communication at WCU. $119 (includes catered lunch). Register or get more info: pdp.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

• Registration is underway for a customer service workshop for hospitality industry professionals, which will be held from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 19, at Western Carolina University’s Biltmore Park location in Asheville. Registration: $119. Info and reservations: pdp.wcu.edu or jcthompson@wcu.edu.

• Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment is accepting registrations for a “Better Communication Through Creative Play for Marketing and Sales Professionals” that will be offered from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 15, at WCU’s Biltmore Park location in Asheville. $99 (includes lunch). Register or get more info: pdp.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

• Haywood Community College’s Workforce Continuing Education Department is offering a wide variety of courses. For a complete listing: www.haywood.edu. Info: 627.4669 or rgmassie@haywood.edu.

• Balsam Mountain Business Matters meets on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at 10 a.m. Great opportunity to network with other business owners. Meeting is held in the clubhouse of Balsam Mountain apartments located at 17 Wilkinson Pass Ln in Waynesville. lgaddy@balsammountainapartments.com.

• Evening classes for anyone wanting to obtain a high school equivalency diploma are offered from 5:30-8:30

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted. p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays at Haywood Community College in Clyde. 627.4648.

• The Western North Carolina Civil War Round Table meets at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at the HF Robinson Auditorium at the Western Carolina University Campus in Cullowhee.

• Concealed carry handgun is offered every other Saturday 8:30am-5pm starting at Mountain Range indoor shooting range. Lunch provided. Class $60.

452.7870 or mountainrangenc@yahoo.com.

• Small business owners can find materials and services to support business growth at Fontana Regional Library’s locations in Macon, Jackson and Swain Counties. Computer classes and one-on-one assistance also available. 586.2016 or www.fontanalib.org.

• One-on-one computer lessons are offered weekly at the Waynesville and Canton branches of the Haywood County Public Library. Lesson slots are available from 10 a.m.-noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Canton and from 3-5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Waynesville Library. Sign up at the front desk of either library or call 356.2507 for the Waynesville Library or 648.2924 for the Canton Library.

HEALTH MATTERS • The Creative Thought Center will host a “How to Speak Science of Mind” class from 1:30-3:30 p.m. on Sundays, Jan. 6 and Jan. 13, at 449 Pigeon Street in Waynesville. Aim is to heal lives of discord, fear, superstition, guilt and sense of lack. Info or to sign up: 734.0843 or 201.988.0852. www.creativethoughtcenter.org.

• Registration is underway for a yearlong Diabetes Prevention Program for Jackson County residents, offered by the Jackson County Department of Public Health. Starts on Jan. 17. Register or get more info: 587.8238.

• Macon County Public Health will offer a Hepatitis A Vaccination Clinic from 3-5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 10, at the Robert C. Carpenter Community Building at 1288 Georgia Road in Franklin. 349.2466.

• Jackson County Department of Public Health is offering diabetes self-management education as well as medical nutrition therapy. Info: 587.8240 or http://health.jacksonnc.org/wic.

• “Riding the Waves of Cancer” meets from 2:30-4 p.m. on Thursdays at the Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center. Physician referral from an oncologist or cancer doctor is required: Myhaywoodregional.com/yogaforcancer. 452.8691.

• Codependents Anonymous (CoDA) meets at 5:30 p.m. on Fridays at the Friendship House on Academy Street, behind and adjoining the First United Methodist Church of Waynesville. Group of persons desiring healthy and fulfilling relationships. 775.2782 or www.coda.org.

• The Haywood County Dementia Caregivers’ Support Group has change the location of its meetings. The group will meet at the Haywood Senior Resource Center (81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville). The meetings are scheduled from 4:30 PM until 6:00 PM on the fourth Tuesday. 926.0018.

• Nutrition counseling and diabetes education are offered through Macon County Public Health in Franklin.

349.2455.

• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) holds a support group for family, friends, and those dealing

Smoky Mountain News

with mental illness on the 1st Thursday of each month in the 2nd floor classroom at Haywood Regional Medical Center at 6:30 p.m.

• HIV and syphilis testing will is offered during normal business hours at Jackson County Health Department.

• Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families (ACA) meets at noon on Saturdays at the First United Methodist Church Outreach Center at 171 Main St. in Franklin. 407.758.6433 or adultchildren.org.

• The Jackson County Department of Public Health will offer a general clinic from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 587.8225.

• A Food Addicts Anonymous Twelve-Step fellowship group meets at 5:30 p.m. on Mondays at Grace Church in the Mountains in Waynesville. www.foodaddictsanonymous.org.

• Big Brother/Big Sister, a one-evening preparation class for children who are about to greet a new baby into their family, is offered for children ages 3-10 at Haywood Regional Medical Center. 452.8440 or MyHaywoodRegional.com/ParentClasses.

• Mothers Connection, an ongoing social gathering for mothers and their babies, meets from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Thursdays excluding holidays at Haywood Regional Medical Center. 452.8440 or MyHaywoodRegional.com/ParentClasses.

• A support group meeting for those with Parkinsons Disease and their caregivers will be held at 2 p.m. on the last Wednesday of the month at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• Free childbirth and breastfeeding classes are available at Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva. Classes are offered bimonthly on an ongoing basis. Register or get more info: 586.7907.

• A free weekly grief support group is open to the public from 12:30-2 p.m. on Thursdays at SECU Hospice House in Franklin. Hosted by Four Seasons Compassion for Life Bereavement Team. 692.6178 or mlee@fourseasonscfl.org.

• A free, weekly grief support group will meet from 12:30-2 p.m. on Thursdays at the SECU Hospice House in Franklin. 692.6178 or mlee@fourseasonscfl.org.

• “ECA on the Move!” – a walking program organized

by Jackson County Extension and Community Association – meets from 9-10 a.m. on Mondays through Thursdays. It’s an effort to meet the American Heart Association’s recommendation of 10,000 steps per day. 586.4009.

• A Tuesday Meditation Group meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Franklin.

RECREATION AND FITNESS • “Walk This Way” – a fitness program for safely exercising during the fall and winter – will be offered from 10:30-11:30 a.m. on Jan. 7, at the Waynesville Library.

• The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department is now offering pickleball on four indoor courts from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays, at the Waynesville Recreation Center. Equipment provided; free for members or daily admission for nonmembers.

456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

• ZUMBA! Class with Monica Green, are offered from 67 p.m. on Monday & Wednesday, at the Canton Armory. $5 per class. 648.2363 or parks@cantonnc.com.

• ZUMBA is offered at First United Methodist Church in Waynesville on Thursdays at 6 p.m. with Patti Burke.

Check Facebook page Patti Burke Zumba Students for additional information such as holiday or weather related cancelations. $5 per class.

39

Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for: ■ Complete listings of local music scene ■ Regional festivals ■ Art gallery events and openings ■ Complete listings of recreational offerings at regional health and fitness centers ■ Civic and social club gatherings • There will be several ballroom and Latin dance classes offered on Sundays and Mondays at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. Classes for beginners, intermediate and all levels. $10 per class. For more information, click on www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Line Dance Lessons will be held on Tuesdays in Waynesville. Times are 7 to 8 p.m. every other Tuesday.

Cost is $10 per class and will feature modern/traditional line dancing. 734.0873 or kimcampbellross@gmail.com for more information.

• Flow + Center Yoga is offered from 9-9:55 a.m. on Wednesdays at Maggie Valley Wellness Center.

944.0288 or maggievalleywellness.com.

• Gentle Vin Yin Yoga is offered from 9-9:55 a.m. on Fridays through November at Maggie Valley Wellness Center. 944.0288 or maggievalleywellness.com.

• The Safekids USA/Blue Dragon Taekwondo School is offering self-defense classes from 9-10 a.m. on Saturdays. $5 per class. For females 14-older. Classes are at 93 Jones Cove Road in Clyde.

• Karaoke is happening at 8 p.m. on Saturdays at Harmon’s Den Bistro at HART Theatre in Waynesville.

• The Maggie Valley Wellness Center is offering two yoga classes from 9-9:55 a.m. on Wednesdays through March: Gentle Flow with Candra and Gentle Vin Yin with Jamie. 944.0288 or maggievalleywellness.com.

• Line dance lessons will be offered from 7-8 p.m. every other Tuesday in Waynesville. $10 per class.

Modern/traditional line dancing. 734.0873 or kimcampbellross@gmail.com.

• A wide variety of yoga classes are offered daily through the Waynesville Yoga Center. For updated, current listings, visit: http://waynesvilleyogacenter.com/class-schedule.

• Pickleball, a cross between tennis, badminton and ping-pong, will be offered from 9 a.m.-noon on Mondays and Wednesdays at the Old Hazelwood Gym in Waynesville. $3 per visit, or $20 for a 10-visit card.

452.6789 or iansmith@haywoodcountync.gov.

• Yoga classes designed specifically for those who have experienced trauma are being offered at the Fitness Connection in Waynesville. www.sonshineyoga.com.

• Tai chi is offered from 10:45-11:45 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday at Haywood Regional Health and Fitness Center. It’s also offered from 1-2 p.m. on Thursdays. Taught by Bill Muerdter. For info about the classes or HRHFC memberships and offerings, call 452.8080 or visit MyHaywoodRegional.com/Fitness.

• Ultimate Frisbee games are held from 5:30-8 p.m. on Mondays at the Cullowhee Recreation Park. Organized

by Jackson County Parks & Recreation. Pick-up style.

293.2053 or www.rec.jacksonnc.org.

• Pickleball is from 1-3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday nights at First Methodist Church in Sylva. $1 each time you play; equipment provided. 293.3053.

• Cardio Lunch class will meet from noon-1 p.m. on

wnc calendar

Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Waynesville Recreation Center. For ages 16 and above. Cost is regular admission fee to the rec center or free for members.

456.2030 or tplowman@waynesvillenc.gov.

• Flexible Fitness class will meet from 4:30-5:15 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays at the Waynesville Recreation Center. For ages 16 and above. Cost is regular admission fee to the rec center or free for members. 456.2030 or tplowman@waynesvillenc.gov.

• Pump It Up class will meet from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays at the Waynesville Recreation Center. For ages 16 and above. Cost is regular admission fee to the rec center or free for members. 456.2030 or tplowman@waynesvillenc.gov.

• The Canton Armory is open to the public for walking from 7:45-9 a.m. on Monday through Friday unless the facility is booked till spring. 648.2363. parks@cantonnc.com.

POLITICAL • Due to the New Year holiday The Jackson County Board of Commissioners will hold their regular meeting at 3 p.m. on Jan. 8 and 6 p.m. on Jan. 22 at the Justice and Administration Building, 401 Grindstaff Cove Road, Room A201 in Sylva. They will resume regular schedule of meeting on the First Tuesday at 6 p.m. and Third Tuesday at 3 p.m. in February.

SENIOR ACTIVITIES • The Mexican Train Dominoes Group seeks new players to join games at 1 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• A Hand & Foot card game is held at 1 p.m. on Thursdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• The Haywood County Arts Council will hold a JAM for fourth through sixth graders from 3:30-5 p.m. on Tuesdays from January through May at Shining Rock Classical Academy. Cost: $85. 452.0593 or bmk.morgan@yahoo.com.

• Registration is underway for after-school art classes for elementary and middle-school students starting Jan. 8-9 at Our Summerhouse Pottery, 225 Wall St., in Waynesville. Ages 8-10 meet from 3:30-4:30 p.m. on Tuesdays; and ages 11-14 meet from 3:30-4:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Tuition: $95 (includes supplies). amy@oursummerhousepottery.com or 734.5737.

• Tuesdays are homeschool days from Jan. 8 through the rest of the season at Cataloochee Ski Area. Rates: $25 for lift; $35 for lift and rental and $50 for lift, rental and lesson. Package is good from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. www.cataloochee.com.

• Professor Whizzpop will be doing his magic show at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 11 at the Made Batter Food & Film in beautiful downtown Sylva. $1. 586.3555.

• Play with cardboard event will be held at 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Jan. 12 at the Jackson County Family Resource Center in Webster. Cardboard City is a free play event for kids and caregivers of all ages, where cardboard and tape is provided, and attendees are free to build or imagine anything! For more information, visit https://playsanctuary.wordpress.com/2018/12/19/3rdannual-cardboard-city/.

• Registration is underway for Lake Junaluska’s Winter Youth Retreats, which are held from December through February in Haywood County for middle school and high school youth groups. Two-night events start at $186 per person; three-night events start at $249 per person. To register or view schedule, including speakers, band and entertainers: www.lakejunaluska.com/winteryouth. Register: 800.222.4930.

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

• Pinochle game is played at 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

ONGOING KIDS ACTIVITIES

• Mah Jongg is played at 1 p.m. on Wednesdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

AND CLUBS

• A Canasta card game is set for 1 p.m. on Mondays at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

KIDS & FAMILIES • The “Polar Express” will depart on select times through Dec. 31 from the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad depot. www.gsmr.com.

Smoky Mountain News

• Middle and high schoolers can enroll in Cataloochee Ski Area’s racing program by Jan. 2. Season includes eight races starting Jan. 8. Cost: $220 for lift, racing and rental; $200 for lift and racing; $110 for racing only. Sign up: racing@cataloochee.com.

• “Art Beats for Kids” will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. on Thursdays at the Charles Heath Gallery in Bryson City.

A new project every week. $20 per child, with includes lesson, materials and snack. To register, call 828.538.2054.

• A program called “Imagine,” an art program for children 8-12 meets at 2 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Jackson County Public Library. Program contains art, writing, and drama. 586.2016.

Custom Chrriistmas Carrd d & Calendar Special 5 1/2“ x 4 1/4” folded • Coolor both sides Comes with blank enveloppes (Bring in 1 or 2 of your favoritee photos or artwork)

Check out our new website 40

• A “Youth Art Class” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to noon every Saturday at the Appalachian Art Farm on 22 Morris Street in Sylva. All ages welcome. $10 includes instruction, materials and snack. For more information, email appalachianartfarm@gmail.com or find them on Facebook.

SSiince 1982

50 cards $79.95 100 cards $99.95 Calendar Special $14 95 ea $$14.95

(12 or 13 of your favorite photos)

641 North Main St. • Waynesville, NC

509 Asheville Hwy., Suite B • Sylva, NC

828.456.HAUS (4287)

828.586.HAUS (4287)

(3/10 Mile North of the CCoourthouse)

(Loccaatteed iin the NAPA PA Auto to PPaarts CCeentteer)

• Rompin’ Stompin’, an hourlong storytime with music, movement and books, is held at 11 a.m. on Fridays at the Canton Library. For ages zero to six.

648.2924.

• Crafternoons are at 2:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month at Hudson Library in Highlands.

• Library Olympics will be held at 2 p.m. on Fridays at Jackson County Public Library. Children age 5 and up get active through relay races, bingo, mini golf.

586.2016.

- 4:15 p.m. for grades K-2 at the Macon County Public Library. 524.3600.

• Culture Club on the second Wednesday of the month, 1 to 2 p.m. for K-6 graders. Guest speakers, books, photos, crafts and food from different countries and cultures. Macon County Public Library. 524.3600.

KIDS FILMS • “Mary Poppins Returns” is showing at 7 p.m. Dec. 26, 28-29 and 10 a.m. 1 p.m. & 4 p.m. on Dec. 29 at The Strand On Main. See www.38main.com for tickets.

• Family Story Time is held on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. at the Canton Public Library. Ages 0-6. Stories, songs, dance and crafting. 648.2924.

• “Smallfoot”, will be shown at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 28 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free. 586.3555.

• Storytimes are held at 10 and 10:40 a.m. every Thursday at Hudson Library in Highlands.

“The Polar Express”, will be shown at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 28 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free.

Come dressed in Pajamas and have some hot chocolate. 586.3555.

• Fun Friday, everything science, is held at 4 p.m. on Fridays at Jackson County Public Library. 586.2016.

• Rock and Read is at 11 a.m. on Tuesdays at Jackson County Public Library. 586-2016.

• WNC Martial Arts will hold karate classes from 67:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at the Old Armory in Waynesville. For more info, contact Margaret Williams at 301.0649 or mvwilliams39@gmail.com.

• Art classes are available for kids 10 and older from 4:15-5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Bascom in Highlands. $15 per class. 787.2865 or www.thebascom.org.

• “Venom”, will be shown at 7p.m. on Dec. 29 and Jan. 5 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free. 586.3555.

“The House with a Clock in its Walls”, will be shown at 6:30 p.m. on Jan.4 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free. 586.3555.

• The Highlands Biological Foundation will offer a series of nature-themed films and documentaries shown at 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursday of March in Highlands. For info on each show, call 526.2221.

• A family movie will be shown at 10:30 a.m. every Friday at Hudson Library in Highlands.

•A community breastfeeding information and support group meets from 10:30 am.-noon on the first Saturday of each month in the main lobby of the Smoky Mountain OB/GYN Office in Sylva. Free; refreshments provided. For information, contact Brandi Nations (770.519.2903), Stephanie Faulkner (506.1185 or www.birthnaturalwnc), or Teresa Bryant (587-8223).

HAYWOOD

• Macon County 4-H Needlers club, a group of youth learning the art and expression of knitting and crochet crafts, meets on the second Tuesday of each month.

For information, call 349.2046.

• Family Story Time, 11 a.m. Wednesdays at the Waynesville Public Library. Stories, songs, crafts.

452.5169.

• A Franklin Kids’ Creation Station is held from 10 a.m.-noon on Saturdays at uptown Gallery in Franklin.

Snacks provided. $20 tuition. 743.0200.

• SafeKids USA Blue Dragon Tae Kwon Do School offers defense training with after-school classes Monday through Friday and Saturday mornings.

627.3949 or www.bluedragontkd.net.

• A Lego Club meet the second Wednesday of the month at 5 p.m. at Cashiers Community Library.

743.0215.

• Teen time 3:30-4:30 p.m. Thursdays at Waynesville Library. A program for teens and tweens held each week. Each week is different, snacks provided. 356.2511.

• Crazy 8 Math Adventure Club on Tuesdays 3:30 p.m.

KIDS STORY TIMES • Mother Goose Time, a story time for babies and toddlers (5 months to 2 years) and their parents/caregivers, is held at 11 a.m. on Tuesdays at the Waynesville Library. 452.5169

• Movers and Shakers story time is at 11 a.m. every Thursday at the Waynesville Library. For all ages.

Movement, books, songs and more. 452.5169.

• Family storytime with crafts, second Saturday of the month at 10:30 a.m. at the Waynesville library. 4525169.

• Family story time for ages zero to six years old is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. each Tuesday at the Canton Library. 648.2924.

JACKSON • Baby Storytime is at 11 a.m. on Thursdays at the Jackson County Public Library. Songs, fingerplays and stories for infants through toddlers. 586.2016 • Kid’s story time Saturdays, 11 a.m., all ages at City Lights in Sylva 586.9449.

Puzzles can be found on page 46 These are only the answers.

• Kids story time, Fridays 11 a.m., Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. at Jackson County Public Library. Story time includes books, puppets, finger plays, songs and crafts. 586.2016.

• Rock and Read storytime, 11 a.m. on Tuesdays at the Jackson County Public Library. 586.2016

SWAIN • Preschool Story time, Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m., Marianna Black Library. After a book or two is read, the children participate in games, songs, finger plays, puppet play and make a craft to take home.

488.3030.

MACON • Paws 4 Reading, a family story time, will be held from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. second Thursday of the month at Macon County Public Library. Children can read to a therapy dog. (grades K-6). 524.3600.

• Toddlers Rock, Mondays, 10 a.m., Macon Public Library. Music, movement and instruments (Designed for children 0-24 months, but all ages are welcome).

• Family Story Time is held at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

524.3600.

• Family Story Time for ages 0 to 7 years is held at 10 a.m. on Thursdays at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. 524.3600.

• Paws 4 Reading, a family story time, will be held from 3:30-5:30 p.m. every Tuesday at Hudson Library in Highlands. Children (grades K-6) practice early reading skills by reading to a canine companion. Info: www.fontanalib.org, www.readingpaws.org or 526.3031.

HOLIDAYS • Winter Lights at the N.C. Arboretum has begun.

Nightly from 6-10 p.m. through Dec. 31. Tickets: $18 for 12-up, $12 for ages 5-11 and free for ages 4under. $15 for groups of 20 or more. Purchase tickets at www.ncwinterlights.com.

• Hot Chocolate & Pajama Party at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 28. Watch “The Polar Express”, come dressed in Pajamas and have some hot chocolate. 586.3555.

• A CommUnity Square Dance is set for 7-9 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 29, at the Old Rock School in Webster.

Caller Jenny Monfore will teach and call dances to live music by Cullowheezer. No partner or fancy outfits required.

• Balsam Mountain Inn (Balsam) will host a New Year’s Eve celebration with The High Lonesome Dreamers 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 31.

• New Year’s Eve celebration with Andrew Scotchie & The River Rats and The Colby Deitz Band at 9 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 31, at Mad Batter Food & Film in downtown Sylva.

Admission is $10 per person. To learn more, click on

• Western Carolina University’s Dulcimer U Winter Weekend is set for Jan. 3-6 at the Lumbuth Inn at Lake Junaluska. Classes, concerts, jam sessions, vendor area and meals. $169 before Dec. 21 or $199 after. Dulcimeru.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

• Sounds from the season will ring through the sanctuary of First Baptist Church, Waynesville on Sunday, January 6 at 6:00pm. Thirteen pianists from Haywood County will play favorite Christmas songs and carols on four grand pianos and a pipe organ. The concert is free and open to the public. A love offering will be taken to benefit the “heat fund” of Haywood Christian Ministry. 456-9465.

FOOD & DRINK • Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville will host five for $5 Wine Tasting from 5 to 9 p.m. Dec. 27/Jan. 3. Come taste five magnificent wines and dine on Chef Stacy’s gourmet cuisine. 452.0120 or www.waynesvillewine.com.

• Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesvill will host a Secret Wine Bar Night from 5 to 9 p.m on Dec. 28/Jan. 4.

Gourmet food, and a great wine & beer menu.

452.0120 or www.waynesvillewine.com.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 2 to 5 p.m.

Dec. 29/Jan. 5 at Papou’s Wine Shop in Sylva. www.papouswineshop.com or 828.631.3075.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 1-5 p.m. on Dec. 29/Jan.5 at Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville. www.waynesvillewine.com or 452.0120.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night Dec. 26 and Jan. 2, and a jazz night with the Kittle/Collings Duo Dec. 27 and Jan. 3. All events are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.innovationbrewing.com.

• Andrews Brewing Company (Andrews) will host the “Lounge Series” at its Calaboose location with Scott Stambaugh (singer-songwriter) Dec. 26, Gabe Myers (Americana) Dec. 27, Somebody’s Child (Americana) Dec. 28 and Wyatt Espalin (singer-songwriter) Dec. 29. All shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.andrewsbrewing.com.

• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host an acoustic jam with Main St. NoTones from 6 to 9 p.m.

Dec. 27 and Jan. 3. Free and open to the public. www.blueridgebeerhub.com.

a website to take you to places where there are no websites.

• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host Bird in Hand (Americana/folk) 8 p.m. Dec. 28. All shows are free and open to the public. www.balsamfallsbrewing.com.

• The Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host an “Open Mic Night” on Mondays, karaoke on Thursdays, DJ Kountry Dec. 28, EDM w/DJ Bent It Dec. 29 and New Year’s Eve w/Mike Farrington & Friends Dec. 31. All events at 10 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

456.4750.

Smoky Mountain News

• The 5th annual “Franklin Ruby Drop” will be from 8:30 p.m. to midnight Monday, Dec. 31, at Town Square in downtown Franklin. Motor Company Grill and Crabtree General Store are hosting the familyfriendly New Year’s Eve event. There will be live entertainment, assorted games, and other activities. Just before midnight, there will be a countdown and lowering of the ruby. The ruby is six feet tall and seven feet in diameter, with over 1,300 LED lights. www.franklinchamber.com.

• The “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” New Year’s Eve celebration will be held at 10:30 a.m.

Monday, Dec. 31, at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first class car with private attendant on the Tuckasegee River Excursion (includes stopover in historic Dillsboro). Narrator onboard to discuss each pairing of four wines with a meal that includes an exclusive sampling of local cheeses, fresh garden salad, a surf/turf entree, and chef-inspired dessert. All passengers also receive souvenir stemless wine glass.

Age 21 and over only. For more information and/or to register, call 800.872.4681 or click on www.gsmr.com.

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

A&E

• The “Polar Express” will depart on select times through Dec. 31 from the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad depot. www.gsmr.com.

wnc calendar

• Pre-school story time, second Wednesday, 11 a.m. at Cashiers Community Library. 743.0215.

www.andrewscotchiemusic.com or www.colbydeitzband.com.

Log on. Plan a getaway.

Let yourself unplug.

41

wnc calendar

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host Tina & Her Pony (Americana) Dec. 28 and Joe Cruz (piano/vocals) Dec. 29. All shows are free and begin at 7:15 p.m. 452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host ‘Round the Fire (jam/rock) Dec. 28, Back South Band Dec. 29 and Seth Brand Jan. 5. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Mad Anthony’s Taproom & Restaurant (Waynesville) will host 28 Pages Dec. 29. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host an open mic night every Thursday and Twelfth Fret (Americana/folk) Dec. 29. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. www.mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

• An indoor flea market will take place every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday in March at Friends Of The Greenway Quarters at 573 East Main St. in Franklin. Registration fee will go to FROG.

ART SHOWINGS AND

• The Franklin Early Music Group meets every Monday at 9 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church. 369.5192.

• The Nikwasi Dulcimer Players meet every Thursday afternoon from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church in Franklin. All are welcome.

524.1040 or 524.2294.

ARTS GROUP MEETINGS • Smoky Mountain Knitting Guild meets every Wednesday from 1-3 p.m. Blue Ridge Books, Waynesville. 246.0789.

8:30 p.m. on Thursdays from Jan. 10-Feb. 14 in Maggie Valley. Open to ages 18-up. $15 to race; $35 for race and 6-10 p.m. lift ticket. www.cataloochee.com.

• Proposed changes to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission regulations are up for public comment through Feb. 1 with a public hearing to be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 15, at Haywood Community College in Clyde. Regulations would cover hunting, fishing and land management issues. Full list available at www.ncwildlife.org/Proposed-Regulations.

Submit comments: https://tinyurl.com/ychgt4hs, regulations@ncwildlife.org or mail to: Rule-Making Coordinator, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, 1701 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1700.

• The Asheville Winter Bike League offers rides weekly at 10 a.m. on Saturdays through Jan. 26. Structures, long winter road training rides. Bit.ly/2qS3YP8.

• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host Fuzzy Peppers Jan. 5, Tim McWilliams Jan. 11 and PMA (reggae/rock) w/Center of Motion Jan. 12. All events are free and begin at 7 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Gloria R. Weiss will have art on display and for sale throughout December in the Macon County Public Library Meeting Room in Franklin. 421.6850.

• Pub 319 (Waynesville) will host an open mic night from 8 to 11 p.m. every Wednesday. Free and open to the public. www.pub319socialhouse.com.

• The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at Bardo Arts Center will have a yearlong exhibition on “Defining America” through May 3 in Cullowhee. Info: 227.ARTS or bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

• The Tuesday Quilters meet from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Tuesday at the Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church on N.C. 107. Bring your machine and whatever quilt you are working on.

• Registration is underway for a winter-tree identification workshop that will be held from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26, in Clayton, Ga. Cost: $55. www.alarkaexpeditions.com.

• Through April 26, Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center is hosting an exhibit to commemorate World War I and the centennial of the end of hostilities. “I Want You! How World War I Transformed Western North Carolina” is on display in the museum’s first floor gallery in Cullowhee.

227.7129.

• The WNC Fiber Folk Group meets weekly from noon to 1 p.m. on Thursdays in the Star Atrium of the Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at WCU. 227.2553 or ddrury@wcu.edu.

• Registration is underway for an educational event about lichens that will be held on Saturday, Feb. 2, and offered through Alarka Institute in Cowee. Cost: $65 (includes lunch). www.alarkaexpeditions.com.

• Thursday Painters meet at the Uptown Gallery in Franklin every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Bring your project and a bag lunch and join us for a day of creativity and fun. All artists are welcome. 349.4607.

• Registration is underway for the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project’s annual Business of Farming Conference, which is from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on Feb. 23 at the AB Tech Conference Center in Asheville.

Cost: $75 before Feb. 1; $95 after. Register: https://asapconnections.org or 236.1282.

• Satulah Mountain Brewing (Highlands) will host “Hoppy Hour” and an open mic at 6 p.m. on Thursdays and live music on Friday evenings. 482.9794 or www.satulahmountainbrewing.com.

• The Strand at 38 Main (Waynesville) will host an “Open Mic” night from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturdays.

283.0079 or www.38main.com.

• Harmon’s Den Bistro at HART (Waynesville) will host karaoke and an open mic at 8 p.m. on Saturdays. All are welcome. www.harttheatre.org.

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019

• Western North Carolina Woodturners Club will meet at 10 a.m. on the second Saturday every month at the Bascom in Highlands.

p.m. on the first, third and fifth Saturday of every month in the fellowship hall of St. John’s Episcopal Church. 293.0074.

• Nifty Needles group, which meets at First United Methodist Church in Sylva, is seeking new members to help knit and crochet warm, useful items for those in need. Supplies (yarn and needles) and lessons provided.

• Salty Dog’s (Maggie Valley) will have Karaoke with Jason Wyatt at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays, Mile High (classic rock) 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays, and a Trivia w/Kelsey Jo 8 p.m. Thursdays.

• Tickets are on sale now for National Theater’s production of “Cat on a Hot Tin Room,” which will be screened as part of the Bardo Arts Center’s Sunday Cinema Series at 3 p.m. on Jan. 20 in Cullowhee. $15 for adults; $10 for WCU faculty/staff and seniors and $5 for students. Arts.wcu.cinema or 828.227.ARTS. • Haywood Arts Regional Theatre is opened up its bistro Harmons’ Den for karaoke performance on Saturday nights. It is also open mic night. On nights when there’s a theater performance in the Fangmeyer Theater, karaoke begins after the show is over. www.harttheatre.org.

• Guadalupe Café (Sylva) will host Folks’ Songs (world/fusion) from 7 to 9 p.m. on Fridays.

• Open Mic Night is from 7-9 p.m. on Saturdays at The Strand on 38 Main in Waynesville. 283.0079 or www.38main.com.

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS Smoky Mountain News

• A comedy improvisation class will be offered from 7-9 p.m. on Tuesdays in Haywood County. Led by improv teacher Wayne Porter, who studied at Sak Comedy Lab in Orlando and performed improv with several groups. To RSVP and get directions, call 316.8761.

GALLERIES

• New artist and medium will be featured every month at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

FILM & SCREEN • “mid90s”, will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 10 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free. 586.3555.

• Jackson County Arts Council meets at 5:30 p.m. the first Monday of each month at the Jackson County Library Complex conference room. 293.3407.

“Mission: Impossible Fallout”, will be shown at 7 p.m. on Jan. 12 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva.

Free. 586.3555.

MUSIC JAMS AND GROUPS • Old-time music jam from 1-3 p.m. the first and third Saturday of the month at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on U.S. 441 outside Cherokee. November through April is just the third Saturday. 497.1904.

• A community music jam will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. on the first and third Thursday of each month at the Marianna Black Library in Downtown Bryson City.

Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer – anything unplugged – is invited to join.

Singers and listeners are also welcome.

• Cruso Circle Play & Jam, 7 p.m. every Tuesday, Cruso Community Center and Friendship Club in Cruso. www.facebook.com/crusocircleplayjam.

• The Haywood County Public Library is offering online lifelong learning courses in over 30 subject areas, many of which offer continuing education units, through Universal Class. Free for library cardholders. www.haywoodlibrary.org or 452.5169.

• Listen and sing along with singers/songwriters playing guitar/mandolin from 7-9 p.m. each Thursday at Heinzelmannchen Brewery in Sylva. All skill levels and instruments welcome. 631.4466 or www.yourgnometownbrewery.com

• Registration is underway for adult pottery classes that will start on Jan. 7 at Our Summerhouse Pottery, 225 Wall St., in Waynesville. Two options for timing: 68:30 p.m. on Tuesdays or 1-3:30 p.m. on Thursdays.

Six-week classes will focus on hand-building techniques in creating functional pottery. Tuition: $225 (includes supplies). amy@oursummerhousepottery.com or 734.5737.

• Karaoke is held at 7 p.m. every other Friday at the American Legion Post 47 in Waynesville. Open to all members and their guests. 456.8691.

• A “Beginner Step-By-Step” painting class will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursdays at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. Cost is $25 with all supplies provided.

For more information on paint dates and/or to RSVP, contact Robin Arramae at 400.9560 or paintniteway42 nesville@gmail.com.

• Rug Hooking Group, 5:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Jackson County Public Library. Beginners welcome.

631.2561.

• Men Macon Music, canella singing, meets at 5:30 p.m. every Monday in the Chapel of First Presbyterian Church, 26 Church St., Franklin. Visitors welcome.

524.9692.

Outdoors • Registration is underway for “Winter Tree ID” – a moderate hike scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 29, at Chimney Rock State Park. $23 adults; $8 for annual passholder; $13 youth (ages 5-15) and $6 per Rockin’ Discovery Passholder. Led by naturalist and author Ron Lance, who will show how to identify trees without their leaves. Advance registration required: chimneyrockpark.com.

• The Balsam Christmas Bird Count is scheduled for Jan. 4. Part of Audubon’s 119th Annual Christmas Bird Count. 15-mile diameter includes portions of Haywood and Jackson Counties. To participate: ddihen1@bellsouth.net or 646.0871.

• A recreational racing program for skiers and snowboarders of all abilities will run from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on non-holiday Saturdays from Jan. 5 through the end of the season. Cost: $10 for two runs or $20 for unlimited pass. Lift ticket or season pass required.

Register: www.nastar.com.

• Cataloochee Trout Unlimited changed its Christmas Party to Jan. 9 at Rendezvous restaurant located on the corner of Jonathan Creek Road and Soco Road in Maggie Valley. 631.5543.

• Mountain Dulcimer Players Club meets from 2 to 4 p.m. on the first and third Sundays of each month at the Bryson City United Methodist Church. Knowledge of music not required, tablature method used.

488.6697.

• A six-week ski and snowboard program for women will kick off at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 9, at Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley. Held each Wednesday through Feb. 13. Cost: $200 for lift, lesson and rentals; $150 for lift and lesson only; $100 for lesson only. Register: cataloochee.com/learn-toslide/special-programs.

• Pick and Play Dulcimer Group of Sylva meets at 1:30

• Cataloochee Ski Area will hold night racing from 7-

• A weekly fly-tying class is held from 6-8 p.m. every Wednesday at Outdoor 76 in Franklin. 349.7676.

• Registration is underway for a winter-plant identification workshop that will be held on Saturday, Feb. 29, at Macon County’s Serpentine Barrens. Cost: $65 (includes lunch). www.alarkaexpeditions.com.

• Sons of the American Legion in Waynesville will have a Turkey Shoot at 9 a.m. every Saturday on Legion Drive.

• Volunteers are being sought to help re-pot native azaleas from 9 a.m.-noon on Tuesdays through Thursdays at the Southern Highlands Reserve in Lake Toxaway. For info, and to schedule a shift: anorton@southernhighlandsreserve.org.

• The Franklin Appalachian Trail Community Council meets at 10 a.m. every second Tuesday in Franklin.

Contact Kristina Moe at kmoe@fontanalib.org for location. Franklintraildays.com.

COMPETITIVE EDGE • The Run in 2019 5K Run, Walk & Fun Run is set for 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 1, at the Jackson County Recreation Park in Cullowhee. Cost: $20. Preregister

by Dec. 28: www.rec.jacksonnc.org. Info: 593.3053.

FARM AND GARDEN • Registration is underway for the Appalachian Farm School, which will be presented by Southwestern Community College on Tuesdays, Jan. 8-Feb. 26, at the college’s Jackson Campus in Sylva. Regional experts teach practical, hands-on lessons necessary for creating and strengthening a successful agricultural business venture. Register: www.ncbc.net/workshop.aspx.

Info: t_henry@southwesterncc.edu or 339.4426.

• Haywood County Extension is accepting applications for the 2019 Master Gardener class with training sessions scheduled for Tuesdays mornings from January through April. 456.3575 or mgarticles@charter.net.

HIKING CLUBS • A 3.2-mile hike is scheduled for 8 a.m. on Jan. 1 at Chimney Rock State Park. 625.1823. Park superintendent will lead an informative discussion on the park’s history.

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smokymountainnews.com

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention, to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination” Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18 This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All dwellings advertised on equal opportunity basis.

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TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com 45

WNC MarketPlace Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019 www.smokymountainnews.com 46

SUPER

CROSSWORD

THAT GNAWING FEELING ACROSS 1 Dry out 6 Should the necessity arise 14 Eye, kidney and heart 20 Informed 21 Grade on a salary scale 22 Big chicken brand 23 Rodent who helps couples end spats?

25 Forced out of a country 26 Squeezed (out) 27 -- polloi 28 Untold millennia 30 -- bean (Old World plant) 31 Stand for 33 Rodent causing prices to increase over time?

40 “-- Haw” 42 Visit briefly 43 “By the way,” on memos 44 Frothy pie topping concocted by a rodent?

50 Bit of a tortilla treat 55 Spheres 56 Cliff nests 57 Seized 59 Part of CD 60 Throws in 61 Actor Arnaz 62 “Jazz” writer Morrison 63 Serious rifts 65 Rodent blurting out secrets?

69 Shooters’ gp.

70 How cliffs incline 72 Very bad grade 73 Rodent who’s a pop star?

77 Fishing boat

81 Chevy now called the Sonic 82 Tune for two 83 Utterances of disgust 85 Ames’ home 86 Series with Agent 99 88 Of the eyes 91 Middle name of Poe 92 Malia Obama’s sis 93 Rodent who was a U.S. president?

96 Outrage 98 Battery terminal 99 Massive fight 100 Revelation of all the relevant facts about a rodent?

106 Nary a soul 111 Shuffle or Mini 112 Silvery gray 113 Silver of film 115 Special air 116 Fight against 118 Rodent-themed hit for Peter, Paul and Mary?

125 Franklin of soul music 126 Bolsheviks’ theory 127 Laotian, say 128 Eye liners?

129 Infuriates 130 Idylls, e.g.

DOWN 1 Turned white 2 Stirred from sleep 3 Poe bird 4 Ideology 5 That woman 6 -- facto 7 Muslim ascetic: Var. 8 Sch. in Manhattan 9 Manning the quarterback 10 Suffix with auction

11 TiVo is one, for short 12 Stinging thing 13 Actress Page 14 Not in secret 15 T. -- (big dino) 16 Petty swindle 17 Old veep Stevenson 18 New, to Julio 19 Roomy auto 24 Actor Charlie 29 Sin 32 Just -- once 34 Imitating sorts 35 Spelling of the screen 36 Mayberry tyke 37 Fish parts 38 Having one sharp, musically 39 “-- that the truth!”

41 “My word!”

44 Young guys 45 Actor Stoltz of “Mask” 46 Go well (with) 47 Apple debut of 1984 48 G.P.’s study 49 Start of an expiration notice 51 Deliberate choice 52 China’s -- En-lai 53 Pullets, e.g.

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64 -- Lanka 65 Roseanne’s mom on “Roseanne” 66 “Chi-Raq” director Spike 67 Mo. #4 68 Advanced deg. for a designer

70 Arrange for 71 Pec pic, say 73 Binges 74 Iris locale 75 Filming sites 76 “A Clockwork Orange” novelist Anthony 77 Heaved 78 Entertainer Falana 79 Moviedom’s McGregor 80 Novelist Ayn 83 Peptic problem 84 With 94-Down, female chum 87 Inn worker 88 “Horrors!”

89 Co. big shots 90 Language in Lahore 91 Brit’s prefix for plane 94 See 84-Down 95 White on “Wheel of Fortune” 97 Ranch ropes 100 Like the flu 101 “Rigoletto,” for one 102 Doesn’t win 103 Piaf of song 104 Dish with kidney beans 105 Make blank 107 Low voice 108 Navel type 109 REM activity 110 Tall stories 114 Bits of resistance 117 That woman 119 Wet lowland 120 Ltd. relative 121 Move hastily 122 Raggedy -123 Trash-talk 124 Hiker’s aid

ANSWERS ON PAGE 40

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Limestone ‘sink’ is just over the mountain “If it form the one landscape that we …

Are consistently homesick for, this is chiefly Because it dissolves in water …

What I hear is the murmur of underground streams, what I see is a limestone landscape.”

— “In Praise Of Limestone, “W.H. Auden (May 1948)

T

he topography and vegetation here in our part of Western North Carolina is among the most varied and attractive in North America. Most all of the distinctive natural features of the southern highlands — from spruce-fir and upland hardwood coves to highland bogs, escarpment gorges, and grassy balds — can readily be sought out and explored here in the far southwestern counties of the state.

But, alas, one sort of terrain we do, for the most part, lack is a true limestone or “karst” landscape. “Karst” is the term geologists apply to a landscape composed of soft, soluble limestone materials that have been “carved” by water and other natural processes into features such as caves, interconnected caverns, blow holes, bluffs, solution channels, and sinkholes. It’s the landscape of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, east Tennessee and northeast Alabama.

BACK THEN We do, of course, have some few caves and blow holes, especially in the Nantahala Gorge where limestone materials have been crystallized into dolomite and marble. This is the northern tip of the Murphy Marble Belt, which comes up out of Georgia in a giant northeasterntending crescent. But the rocks here are too hard and limited in extent to have formed a true “karst” landscape.

To find such terColumnist rain we need to go just over the high divide between WNC and east Tennessee into the Cades Cove section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. During the mountain-building processes that created the Appalachians about 250 million years ago, older Precambrian rocks overrode more recently formed sea-deposited limestone.

Accordingly, when you’re up on Clingmans Dome or Mt. LeConte or any of the other mountaintops here in WNC, you are standing on old hard stuff. You have to descend down into the coves along the western border of the park into what the geologists call “windows” to get to the softer, more soluble materials.

George Ellison

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in a January 2005 edition of The Smoky Mountain News.

One of the most notable and little-visited of these “windows” is the Whiteoak Sink situated northwest of Cades Cove near Townsend on the park’s border. To get there, drive just over 21 miles south along the Little River road from the Sugarlands Visitors Center near Gatlinburg to the Schoolhouse Gap trailhead on the right (west) side of the highway.

The two-mile walk up to Schoolhouse Gap is very moderate over a gradually ascending jeep track. At the gap, veer sharply down the ridge to the left through a rhododendron tunnel that traverses a boggy gulch. As it’s dimly lit and the peaty bog forms pools seemingly going nowhere, it’s kind of spooky along this section of the trail.

A “sink” is a geological term applied to “a large depression caused by collapse of the ground into an underlying limestone cavern.” That’s exactly how Whiteoak Sink was formed perhaps two million years ago. But the term “sink” is also very descriptive of the way the creeks running down into this immense limestone basin vanish like the water going down the kitchen sink.

Have faith, and presently — after a 10minute walk-scramble — you’ll enter into the flat basin of the sink, which is perhaps half a mile long and a quarter mile wide.

Vertical limestone bluffs of up to 80 feet are visible during the winter months.

In summer, the entire flat is covered with

a dense jungle of vegetation. It’s said that pioneer families who lived in the area kept cattle “in the sink,” and it certainly appears to be a good spot for foraging livestock in summer and sheltering them from the elements in winter.

Blowing Cave — a three-by-six foot opening — is the kitchen sinkhole of Whiteoak Sink. In times of extreme runoff, waters ultimately flow over a small waterfall down into the cave opening and adjacent areas under the high limestone bluff into the some dark underworld. I haven’t encountered anyone who knows where they emerge. The very last thing on my agenda — as it should be on yours — would be trying to find out. Always remember that you must obtain a permit from park authorities before entering any cave in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

In a karst landscape one encounters a situation unlike most others here in the southern highlands. This basement habitat seems light years away from the vistas and blue skies of the high spruce-fir country. But, in reality, it’s simply a remote patch in the varied mosaic of natural areas that makes this region so exciting to explore and piece together.

(Note: For additional information, see Harry L. Moore’s A Roadside Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.)

(George Ellison is a naturalist and writer.

He can be reached at info@georgeellison.com.)

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019 Smoky Mountain News 47

Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2019 Smoky Mountain News

Asheville Brewing Company Bank of America Beverly-Hanks & Associates Blue Ghost Brewing Company Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Boyd Mountain Log Cabins & Christmas Tree Farms Cataloochee Valley Tours CFC Smoky Mountain Region Cherokee Preservation Foundation Citizens for the Economic Future of Swain County Community Foundation of Western North Carolina Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Equilibar, LLC First Citizens Bank Foundation For The Carolinas French Broad River Garden Club

Greenworks Tools Hand and Stone Hands of Sean Perry Haywood County Tourism Development Authority Hickory Nut Gap Farm HomeTrust Bank Insurance Service of Asheville Intentional Growth Center John J. and Susan S. Hawthorne Living Trust Ken & Deborah Wilson Foundation Larry's Beans Mast General Store Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Mission Health Mitchell and Dorothy Kostro Family Foundation Morgan Stanley

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Plate design courtesy of Micah McClure

48